Mean Girls
by Darev
Summary: They were always cast aside as the villains. Now these bad girls are out for revenge...and this time they're taking it to the good guys in ways they never imagined.
1. Breakout

Darev: It's been a while I've written anything with substance. I've written a dozen summaries for fics and I don't think I'll get around to writing a third of them. Of the group, this one just called to me. I love bad guys/girls, and I especially love it when they team up to take down the heroes. It's all dark side from here on out though the good guys will make a few cameos. I even have a twist in store that I believe will blow your mind. Whether I finish it or not is up to the writing gods. For now, enjoy!

Setting: Just about the time during the events of "Secrets of the Lost Kingdom."

* * *

**Mean Girls**

**1. Breakout**

_"Seek the enemy of your enemy and you will find a friend."_

Urdnot Wrex quoting a krogan idiom to Commander Sheperd – Mass Effect

* * *

The cell was clean and well-lit, but what else can you expect from Light Rock? They treated their prisoners like hotel guests; if there was such a thing as a hotel where the guests were never allowed to leave. Instead of bars on the window there was a small porthole that had a magnificent view of the inner courtyard where the Light Haven monks would tend to the gardens and meditate in one of the fortress' many pagodas. There were no bars because iron was considered an impure element, and therefore an intricate web design stood in place for the bars. When the sun shone through the portico, it shadowed a marvelous chrysanthemum on the cell floor, adding scenery to an otherwise bleak room.

Speaking of which, it was circular in design. The monks valued the circle over the square...something to do with a cycle...and instead of a rectangular bed there was a plush oval-shaped futon in the center of the room. There was no pillow or blanket. The futon served as a place for meditation as well as sleep. With acoustics to rival most caverns, one can only hear their own breathing as they sought inner enlightenment.

That futon stood in tatters; the stuffing scattered around the room. The person responsible for this was huddled beneath the portico where the light could not reach her. She hated the sun. She hated any kind of warmth. All that light seeping in through the chrysanthemum webbing made the room unbearably hot for one so accustomed to the cold. Her pale forehead was drenched in sweat and her once illustrious white hair was matted to her face like a wet towel.

She huddled against the wall, her legs spread in an L shape, one of which she hugged to her chest. Her head slung over like an unstrung marionette, limp but with regular breaths heaving her shoulders up and down. She was tired. Never had she felt so weak in her life. This place, Light Rock Haven, drained every ounce of dark energy she once possessed. Now this woman, this witch once feared by many across the universe, was nothing more than some helpless pixie.

Draped as she was in the traditional white garbs the monks used for new initiates, the witch wore them like shackles. It weighed her down so much that it became difficult to walk without help. The monks insisted it was her own guilt weighing her down and to be free she need only liberate her mind or some philosophical bullshit like that. She needed dark magic, but there was no magic of any kind in Light Rock. This place was a magic-user's worst nightmare, especially if you were a witch.

To add insult to injury, the collar around her neck prevented her from using magic of any kind. She was no stronger than a regular human now. A fairy could bat her around and she'd be unable to do a thing about it.

One fairy in particular haunted the witch's dreams. Blue eyes. Fiery hair. She could see her behind her eyelids, mocking her, taunting her from the safety of freedom beyond these walls. She dreamt of rendering that fairy's flesh asunder. It was the only thing that made nights tolerable in this wretched place. At least in her dreams she was still feared and powerful. It was her one escape and if she could she would sleep all day.

The door opened, admitting her jailer.

"Get...out." Her voice was rasp, strained. It was as if talking took too much out of her.

Like the room, the door was circular and quietly slid open to reveal a bald-headed man in his early twenties. Not much older than she, as a matter of fact. With green eyes the color of grass and olive skin, she might have considered him handsome if she didn't want to kill him every moment he walked through that door.

"It is time for your lunch." The man stepped in, and then paused. She heard him sigh. "I wish you would stop doing that. It takes the young ones many hours to sew those futons together." He approached the angry woman slowly and without worry. Though thin and frail in stature, the man was a trained combatant. His steps were practiced like he was walking on eggshells. He carried with him a small, oval-shaped tray with a bowl of sliced fruit and vegetables, a cup, and a pitcher of water. He placed them all just a few inches from where she sulked.

"You haven't been eating well. I grow worried," he admitted, the concern clear in his voice and on his face. "Are you ill?"

"Yes." She lifted her head, slowly. Captivity had drained all the luster from her figure...all but her eyes, which shone with icy malice. "I am sick and tired of this place. I want out."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening anytime soon." The monk stood up. He towered over her. "Not until you learn to conquer the demons inside of you."

"I. Am. The demon."

He did not waver. "Since I am responsible for your well-being during your stay at Light Rock, I'm afraid I must disagree."

"Then stop taking care of me. It'll be easier on both of us."

"I take my charges very seriously." He turned to the side, studied the wall a moment, and said, "You and your companions have wrought much misery on the outside world. Many have suffered because of your actions. You were brought here to heal as well as redeem yourself by putting your attributes to good use."

"And do what?" The witch spat. "Put some ice cubes in your tea? I don't do nice."

"Deep down, I believe you are a good person. Life must have been very difficult for you." He turned his eyes on her. There was no judgment in them, only compassion. He may as well have slapped her in the face.

"You have no idea what I've been through. Who are you to judge me?"

"I don't judge."

"Yes you do. That's all anyone ever does."

"People are not as evil as you believe them to be."

Now her eyes narrowed. "And you think everyone is good?" She scoffed. "You're a bigger fool than I thought."

"To perceive one a fool, one must understand what it takes to be a fool."

Her head jerked back. "What?!"

"Simply put it means it takes one to know one." He smiled. He actually smiled as if he had made a joke. Now he was mocking her. She'd rather he remained quiet.

"You and I are both young. We have so much to learn. It is my wish that we may both learn together."

She turned away. "Piss off!"

"You are stubborn but I believe that my patience will be rewarded." He waited until she looked back at him before speaking. Gone was the smile. There was no emotion on his face save for the eyes. "I know we will not fail each other." He dipped his head in a bow. "Enjoy your meal." He turned and walked for the door.

The witch glared at him.

"I will have a replacement futon sent up before..." he heard a crash behind him, followed by something rolling on the floor and the sound of spilling liquid. He sighed. "I take it you don't like papayas?"

Looking back, the monk found the witch had kicked over the tray, spilling its articles on the floor. The cup rolled across the room and stopped when it hit the back of his ankle. He picked it up and turned back to her. "You really should eat. You are not looking healthy at all."

"Mind your own business."

"You are my business."

"Get lost, loser!" She hugged both her knees to her chest. "Don't come back."

He sighed. "You are a challenge. I will give you that."

She glowered. "You have no idea."

"Very well. I shall...ARGH!"

The witch's head shot up. She saw the monk drop the cup as his body convulsed with pain. He rocked back and forth momentarily before falling to his knees. His eyes were wide with shock. They fixated on the witch, filled with an emotion she could not fathom, before rolling into the back of his head. He collapsed on the ground and did not get back up.

Her mouth agape, the witch lifted her gaze from the monk's unconscious body to the person behind him. She was wearing the same white robe as her, only her hair was a dark shade of blue and frizzled like it had been struck by lightning. "Stormy?"

"Icy, come on!" The weather witch waved her forward. "We've got to move, now!"

Icy noticed a small device in Stormy's hand. Sparks of electricity emanated from the tiny prongs at the tip. She struggled to her feet, using the wall as leverage. "Where'd you get the tazer?" Her legs wobbled. She hadn't stood up for days.

"Never mind." Stormy kicked the monk for good measure, just to make sure he was completely out. Then she rushed out the door, looking both left and right, the tazer always at the ready. "It won't be long before they notice we're gone." She looked over at Icy. "We have to get Darcy and be out of here before then."

"How'd you get out?"

"Come on!" Stormy was panicking. Her eyes darted every which way as if expecting a pair of strong hands to wrap around her at any moment. "Move it, Icy!"

Icy groaned. She wasn't used to taking orders from anyone let alone Stormy. Yet she was free and she had a weapon. That's more than Icy could say about herself. Forcing her legs to move, Icy stumbled her way to the door. She stopped over the unconscious monk.

"What are you doing? This no time for revenge."

Icy glared at Stormy who froze in place.

"I mean if...if you wanna kick him a little, that's okay with me." She scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"No." Icy looked back at the monk. "That's not near enough for me."

Stormy pleaded, "Look Ice, I know you're pissed off and everything but if we don't get moving we're going back where we started. Darcy's not far from here. We have to break her out and get to the highest tower to make our escape."

Icy glanced at her sideways.

"Just trust me on this one. It's our only way out." She eyed the downed monk. "Worry about him later. Worry about us now."

Stormy had a point. Much as she hated to admit it, Icy had to put her revenge on hold for now. She placed one hand on her hip and looked down on the monk with a smile on her face. "You won't think I'm such a good person when I come back for you." She turned to Stormy. "Let's go."

"This way!" Stormy ran down the corridor while Icy closed the door shut. The monk would have a splitting headache when he woke up, but it's nothing a little meditation won't cure.

* * *

Stormy had with her a master key which she used to unlock the cell door.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or what?" Icy demanded; feeling agitated at being left out of the loop.

"You need to trust me," Stormy said as she slid open the door. "I know it's a stretch but I know what I'm doing."

Inside, Darcy was curled up in a fetal position on the futon. She looked paler than usual. The witches outside uttered a gasp in unison.

"Uh-oh." Stormy regarded Icy. "What's wrong with her?"

One look at the portico and Icy knew what was happening. "It's the light. Darcy draws her powers from darkness and light weakens her more than it would you or me. I could barely stand just a moment ago. I don't' think she can even crawl."

"Well that's great." Stormy said as they both entered the cell. Icy leaned down to nudge Darcy awake.

"Darcy. It's me. Wake up."

Darcy's eyes fluttered open. They widened with recognition of Icy's face but when her lips parted no words came out - just a wheeze of air.

"She's bad. Come on." Icy pushed Darcy into a sitting position before looping one of her arms around her neck. "We're going to have to carry her out."

"Wonderful." Stormy looped the other arm and together the two witches carried their wounded companion into the hallway.

"So spill, Stormy. How'd you get out of your cell?"

They were lugging Darcy's prone form through the halls. Darcy's head swiveled and she tried to speak on more than one occasion but was too weak to formulate cohesive words.

"This girl broke me out. She handed me the master key and the tazer and told me to free you two. She's one tough chick. The two guards stationed outside my cell were knocked out cold by some powerful magic."

Icy looked over Darcy's head at her. "Powerful magic?"

"Yeah. I think she's a fairy. Though you wouldn't know it."

"Hold on!" Icy stopped and by default, Stormy. "You're telling me that a fairy set you free?"

Stormy nodded.

"And you listened to her?"

"She's busting us out, Ice. You know the old saying, 'Don't look a gift gargoyle in the mouth'."

"Fairies are the enemy, Stormy. We do no associate with them."

"Fine. Go back to your cell if that's what you want. Darcy and I are getting out of here."

"Who is she? Why would she help us?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Well you should. How do you know this isn't some sort of trap?"

Frustrated, Stormy blurted, "Because we're out!"

An alarm went off - a great bell followed shortly by surprised shouts.

"And if you want it to stay that way I suggest we move!"

Icy did not protest to that. She and Stormy lugged Darcy as fast as they could around the corner.

"Do you know where you're going?" Icy asked.

"The highest tower is this way. I'm the witch of storms, remember? I can hear the wind."

The shouting grew closer. Several heavy footsteps sounded out behind them.

"Hurry!" Icy urged them onward. They came to a doorway where inside they found a flight of stairs that circled upward. Obviously they had reached the tower.

Darcy opened her eyes. "W-What's going on?"

"Hold her." Icy gave Darcy to Stormy.

"What are you doing?"

"Buying us some time." She grabbed the tazer from Stormy. Once they were inside the start of the stairway, Icy shut the door. She then opened up the tazer. She made a few tweaks before she snapped the tazer onto the handle. It sparked violently, maintaining a constant shock as the prongs sent jolts of electricity to the other end.

"The charge won't last long. Let's keep moving." She resumed her post beside Darcy and they carried her up. A loud cry followed them up as whoever touched the handle received the shock of his life. Icy smiled.

They were almost halfway up when they heard the door burst open.

"That didn't take long," Stormy commented.

"Just keep moving."

Footsteps, running footsteps, chased them up the stairs.

"Dammit!" Icy looked back they way they came. She could hear the guards getting closer. "This is going to be the shortest breakout in history."

Suddenly the tower began to shake. It was a tremor at first which grew into a quake. The witches and the guards lost their footing. One of the guards managed to get within sight of the witches. "There they are..." he said just as the walls began to crack. The whole tower split into two. The Trix were right on the edge where the upper half of the tower elevated into the air. Beneath them on the lower half, the guard and his companions could only watch in shock as their quarry was literally lifted into the air.

"What's going on?" Icy asked. She and Stormy hoisted Darcy's dangling legs over the edge. "Stormy?"

"She said to make for the top. So let's get going." They began dragging Darcy up the stairs. The tower continued to climb even as the witches reached the summit.

Icy looked around and saw nothing but clouds. Being so high up the wind kicked at her face, forcing her to squint. "Well?"

"I...I don't know. She said to meet her up here."

"That's what you get for trusting a fairy."

Suddenly a red ship materialized out of thin air. It was sleek and shaped like the tip of a three-pronged spear, or a trident. The middle spoke was longer than the other two which were elevated a few feet higher on each side. It had no markings of any kind to distinguish it. The stealth ship, for what else could it be, was designed to be as discreet as possible. It hummed quietly in the air.

"What is that?" Icy asked.

A door appeared on the side where there once was none. It slid open as the ship moved in closer to the tower, extending a small platform when it was close enough.

"Get on!" Stormy urged.

Icy climbed up first and with Stormy's help hoisted Darcy onto the ship. Once Stormy was aboard, the platform retracted and the door sealed shut. Whatever invisible force held the tower aloft now vanished, allowing the construct to plummet the several hundred feet to the fortress below. Monks scattered and guards cursed as the tower came crashing down on the courtyard.

The stealth ship powered up before moving on into the distance, gaining speed as it went.

* * *

Inside the ship, the Trix found themselves inside a vacant compartment with no furnishings. The interior was a pink-skin color with a smooth metal sheen. Darcy moaned on the floor. Stormy and Icy were catching their breaths. Despite being in motion, the witches felt nothing at all. Save a low hum, they may as well have been on the ground.

"That was close," Stormy said. "But we made it." She allowed herself a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah." Icy stood up. Her face was serious and her fists clenched at her sides. "Now it's time we found out what's going on around here." She made for the door at the other end of the compartment.

"Icy..." Stormy said. She noticed Darcy coming to as she propped herself up on her elbows.

Icy had reached the door which slid open, allowing her the first view of the cockpit. It was elongated to keep with the outside's long-neck design. From the windows, Icy could see the sky racing around them. They were moving at remarkable speed and judging from the angle were about to penetrate the atmosphere at any moment.

The witch spotted a figure sitting in the pilot's seat. There were several stations, six in all by her count, but the one on the upper left had the rooms' sole occupant so that's the one Icy approached.

Stormy stepped through the door just as Darcy got to her feet, massaging her throbbing head. "Where are we?" The disoriented witch asked.

"I want answers, fairy." Icy tried to sound threatening but in her state she knew she wouldn't be able to back it up. Between her incarceration and the magic-dampening collar around her neck, Icy was as much a threat as a wounded water nymph that was stuck on land.

"How about some gratitude, _witch_?" The voice coming from the pilot's seat was high-pitched. Definitely a fairy's voice. It was also haughty and stuck-up. Icy hated this girl already.

"Gratitude? You call that an escape plan?"

"Got you out, didn't it?"

Icy growled. Her fists clenched so much that the nails dug into the skin, drawing blood. She didn't care. She was angry and she needed to take it out on someone. "What do you want from us?"

"Actually I'm here to offer you something, Icy. If you don't mind we skip the formalities as we're going to be friends from this point out."

"Friends?" Behind Icy, Darcy and Stormy exchanged confused glances. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

She heard the fairy giggle before bounding out of the seat. Standing up, she turned to confront the witches whose eyes widened at the sight.

"The name's Chimera." The former princess of Solaria curtsied. "It's a pleasure to finally meet like-minded girls like myself."

"Like-minded?" Icy repeated before pointing an accusing finger. "We've got nothing in common."

"Au-contraire. We have more in common than you think."

Icy moaned in frustration. "Start making sense." She crossed her arms.

Chimera held up two fingers. "Two words: Winx Club."

Icy snarled.

"That's the same reaction I had when I was recruited."

"Recruited?" Stormy asked.

"For what?" Darcy stumbled next to her, grabbing her sister's shoulder to keep from keeling over, an action Stormy did not like.

"And by whom?" Icy inquired.

"Someone who hates those Alfea girls as much as we do. Someone with an old grudge to settle. Someone with a lot of power and with a lot of resources at her disposal."

_"Her?"_ Icy stressed.

"Duh. Hell hath no fury. Who else but a girl could create such a devious revenge plot?"

Icy's eyebrow curled. "Keep talking."

The ship trembled. The occupants stumbled.

"Damn!" Chimera rushed back into the pilot seat. Icy made for the one adjacent to her and sat down.

"What is it?"

"It's those Light Rock pests," Chimera responded as the ship shook again. Darcy and Stormy sat down at one of the other stations each, holding on for dear life. "They followed us."

"Well what did you expect? Of course they were going to come after us." Icy cursed as another round from the Light Haven ships hit home. "Didn't think this through, did you?"

Chimera fired off an angry stare. "Look just sit down and shut up. I can handle this."

"Can you?"

A transmission came through. "Unidentified vessel. This is the Light Haven Aerial Corps. You are to decrease speed and land your ship immediately. You are harboring dangerous criminals and will not be allowed to leave the atmosphere."

Stormy sighed. "Well it was a good run while it lasted."

"We're not done yet," Chimera worked feverishly over the controls.

"Do we have weapons?" Icy asked in anticipation. "Can we fight back?"

"This ship's built for stealth, not for combat. We wouldn't last long in a one-on-one fight with those guys."

Looking over at the radar screen before her, Darcy cringed. "Uh...more like twelve-on-one. There's too many."

"No worries." Chimera reached to a T-shaped lever on the main console and gradually began to push it forward. "We're about to go incognito." A deep-sounding vibration went through the ship. From the inside nothing had changed, but outside where the Haven ships were in hot pursuit, the vessel just disappeared.

On the console a diagram of the ship saw it changing from green to blue. "I've just activated the stealth system. We're ghosts." No sooner had she said that when the vessel pierced the outer atmosphere and broke out into space. The Light Rock ships were dumfounded. They searched the entire perimeter of the sky not knowing the vessel had long moved beyond their range. With the planet behind them, Chimera and the witches were long gone.

They were free.

"Yes!" Stormy exclaimed. Even Darcy who was not one for emotional outbursts let out a cry of victory. Chimera was all smiles for her accomplishment. Only Icy remained un-amused.

"Alright...Chimera, is it? You helped us escape but I still don't know if we can trust you."

"Is it because I'm a fairy?" Chimera's tone became defensive.

"Past experience. Everyone who busted us out in the past has turned on us in the future. Each time we joined forces with somebody we just met, we wind up in prison. So tell me, Chimera...why should we help you?"

Chimera thought on this a moment. "She said there would be some hostility," she said more to herself though Icy still heard her. "Fair enough." Chimera reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small cocoon-shaped device which she then pointed at Icy. She pushed a button and the collar around Icy's neck clicked open. It fell to the floor with a clang.

"What...?" Icy touched her bare neck for the first time in weeks. "I'm free?"

Chimera did the same for Stormy and Darcy. Two more collars fell off. "You're welcome."

"Bitchin'." Stormy held up her hand where a small bolt of electricity danced between her fingers. "Wish I could have used this tazer instead."

Darcy created a small globe of darkness in her palms. "Still weak but improving." The ball disappeared.

Icy held up her fist. She summoned the darkness within her and could feel her power gathering in her knuckles. Her fist began to glow with energy. Icy smiled.

"Better?" Chimera asked.

The smile vanished. Icy looked to the other Trix who gave her blank stares. "Okay look," she spoke to Chimera. "You broke us out of Light Rock and gave us back our powers." She released her fingers, discarding the energy. "We're...grateful." The felt strange on her tongue. "But if you think we're just going to go along with someone else's scheme you can forget it. Twice that's happened and both times we were screwed over. Tell your boss thanks but we'll take care of those pixies our own way."

"She thought you might say that." Chimera swiveled her chair around so that she could face all of them. "Just to let you know, you guys aren't the only ones who got screwed over. I was once the princess of Solaria before that snobbish blonde bimbo overthrew me and my mother. Mom was never the same after that and my family was forever ruined." She grew stern, dark. "I want to make them pay for what they did to us. After we were exiled all I could think about was payback. Now's my chance."

"Wait a minute," Darcy began. "You're _that_ Princess Chimera. I remember reading about you. Stella knocked your ass clear off the throne."

Chimera winced. "Not the words I would have used but yeah. She and her pixie pals raided the palace and threw us out. That throne was rightfully mine!" So angry was Chimera, so intent on reminiscing, that she didn't know she was growling like an enraged animal. Once she realized this, she quickly composed herself in front of the witches. "Ahem. So when I was offered a chance at revenge I took it. Now it's your turn. What do you say?"

"Another chance to stomp Musa's pretty face? I'm down." Stormy punched her fist into her open palm.

"I always love making people's lives miserable. Especially when those people have butterfly wings." Darcy thought a moment. "I'm game." She reclined in her chair.

Chimera nodded. She then turned to icy who said nothing.

"Come on, Ice. It's not like we have anything better to do," Stormy said.

"Other than run from the law," Darcy muttered.

"Listen to your friends, Icy. The authorities are going to come after you with everything they've got. At least with us you'll have a place to lay low until the heat dies down. Besides where else are you going to go?"

Icy closed her eyes. Chimera crossed her fingers.

"Alright." She swiveled her chair forward and crossed both her arms and her legs. She glanced at Chimera. "But I still don't trust you."

"She knew you'd say that." Chimera smiled as she turned back to the rudder.

"Who's this she you keep mentioning?" The white-haired witch asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. Now rest up. It's a ways where we're going and we don't serve peanuts."


	2. Our Benefactor

**Darev:** My thanks to **Kiku**, **Starla**, **CGRD **and **Daydreamer **for the reviews. My hope is not to drag out the beginning of the story - the fear being that spending too much time on the exposition can slow the development down to a crawl. The next chapter will be the end of the build-up, and then we break into the action. Plots abound as trust proves to be a rare commodity among evildoers.

* * *

**Mean Girls**

**2. Our Benefactor**

_"How can I prove that I'm trustworthy – unless you trust me?" _

Grimm Probable - A Friend in Darkness

* * *

The Trix had retired to the ship's sleeping quarters to get some rest. The prison break had taken a lot more out of them than they would ever admit and the last thing they wanted was to show weakness in front of a fairy...even if that fairy was on their side.

Chimera kept to herself. She wasn't too fond of the Trix either, though it was not for the same reasons. She knew their reputation. Their pension for mayhem and destruction was nothing to take lightly. Sure Chimera may have stepped on a few toes in her day, but she only wanted what was rightfully hers. She was born to rule Solaria. She'd been groomed into that role since the day she'd been born. The Trix wanted to take over the universe. Kind of unoriginal when she thought about it, but Chimera wisely kept her thoughts to herself.

The universe had a strange sense of irony that was not lost on Chimera. She, a fairy, would be fighting alongside her natural enemies against other fairies. Granted she did not like the Winx Club - thought they were overrated, she did - but her only grudge was against Princess Stella. It was her she wanted to take down. The other fairies can grow old and die for all she cared, but Chimera knew that to take on Stella meant she would be going up against the entire club, and that was something she could not do alone. Like it or not, she and the Trix were partners in crime.

It's just as good she wasn't alone in this unholy alliance. When she left to exact her revenge, Chimera knew there would be no going back. She knew that she was but a cog in the machine that would ground the Winx Club to dust. She may have had the will, but without allies her revenge plot would be like throwing dust into the wind, the end result always coming back to sting her in the face. She wasn't alone...not anymore, and with her newfound conspirators she would finally take that snobbish blonde brat down a peg.

"Scheming?"

The voice came from so close, so out of nowhere, that Chimera visibly jumped in her seat. She turned her head to find Darcy standing next to her. She looked fully rested; her eyes glowing with yellow fire and her white skin no longer a sickly paste but a porcelain sheen.

As it was, Darcy had entered the cockpit without Chimera knowing. Usually she would have heard the door slide open or at the very least hear footsteps approaching the chair. Darcy may as well have been a shadow.

"W-What?"

"I know that look." The green-haired witch said. "You're thinking about exacting your revenge." She inclined her head sideways, a smirk caressing her beautiful face. "How un-fairy like of you."

Realizing she was being teased, Chimera wrinkled her nose up at the witch. She turned away, hoping Darcy did not spot the look of surprise on her face from being snuck up on. She failed miserably but it was best not to show weakness...not in front of these witches.

"When did you get up?"

"Just now. Icy and Stormy are still asleep."

"Really?" Chimera said in an uninterested tone. "Must be tired."

"Yeah. They always did like to sleep in." Darcy moved around to the other side of Chimera's chair. She looked over her shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"

"I'm piloting." She almost said, "Duh" at the end of that comment but held her tongue. It was very unsettling to have one of the Trix standing behind her like this.

"Oh?" Darcy leaned in. Her shoulder brushed alongside Chimera's head, forcing her to lean away. "Then you'd better tell your ship that because it looks like it thinks it's on auto pilot."

Chimera blushed. She saw right through her.

Seeing the look on her face brought a greater smile to Darcy's. "I know how to read panels, honey." She stood back up. "I'm not some firstie you can easily impress."

Chimera became frustrated. Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "Who says I'm trying to impress you?"

"You change tudes fast," Darcy said before having a look around the cockpit. "You were all excited at having us aboard a few hours ago. Now you're acting like we're not wanted." She studied the station she'd been sitting at when they escaped. Navigation was off and Darcy could guess why. Chimera didn't want them to know where they were. Information was power and right now that was about the only thing she had over Darcy at the moment.

But Darcy could be oh so persuasive.

"You'd better be careful, Chimera." Darcy traced a seductive finger over the cushioned chair. "I might start to think you don't like us."

Chimera felt her cheek twitch and looked away. No sense giving this witch any strings she can pull.

"And you don't like us," Darcy stated rather than asked. "It's as clear as the cheeks on your face."

_Damn._

"What do you want from me?" Chimera blurted out a bit harsher than she would have liked. There's no denying it. This witch was getting to her.

"I just want to talk," Darcy responded. "Seeing as we're friends and all."

"We're not friends," Chimera stated. She would not be manipulated.

"Now my feelings are hurt."

Swiveling the chair around, Chimera crossed both her arms. "I get what you're doing. The old Good Witch/Bad Witch routine. Your sister acts all mean and scary while you pretend to be the nice one. I'm not falling for it. If you want to know what's going on then you'll find out when we reach our destination. Until then, I suggest you stop bothering me and go...boil a cauldron or something."

The fairy turned her chair around, confident that she had made her point. "My job was to get you out of prison and to bring you in. I did the first and I'm doing the second." She began to type something on the keyboard in front of her. "I'll let you know when we're there. Until then you must be patient."

She knew Darcy was still there even without hearing her. Witches emitted a dark presence that fairies could feel a mile away. Right now it felt like a dark sun was radiating icy beams across the cockpit to Chimera's back. She wasn't afraid. She could defend herself if need be. The witches would not have fully recuperated from their ordeal and Chimera was no slouch when it came to fighting. She was a Beta Girl, and Beta Girls were tough.

"Patience?" Darcy iterated. A sinister tenor crept into her voice. "You're saying I need to be patient?"

"That's right." Chimera rehearsed a defensive spell in her head in case Darcy tried anything unfriendly. She knew that if she powered up or made any sudden gestures it could send the wrong message and possibly start a fight. Still, Chimera was not about to leave herself defenseless. She had the beginning of the spell on her lips just in case it would come to a brawl.

"Patience is waiting for a father who won't ever come home again. Patience is struggling with the simplest spells because you don't have the proper learning material. Patience is learning to swallow your pride while more privileged kids throw taunts at you. Patience is knowing when to strike at the people that wronged you. Patience is going from one defeat after the next and still coming back for more, growing more powerful and confident with each setback."

Chimera could hear Darcy coming up to her. Her heart began to race. Was she about to do something? Should she activate the spell now? With her back turned, Darcy would not be able to see or hear her enacting the spell, but she would have to be facing her in order for it to be effective. Who's to say Darcy won't have reciprocated by then, launching into a counter spell that put Chimera on the ropes instead of the other way around?

She heard her stop just behind and to the left. She could feel the witch's dark magic just burning her. Chimera's lips were moving in a silent incantation. Trix or not, she would defend herself.

"I know how to be patient, little fairy." Darcy made no move to attack Chimera. In fact, her posture was completely non-aggressive. "You don't trust witches. For that," Darcy said, "you have my respect. You'd be a complete fool otherwise. There is darkness in you. It's weak but it's there."

Darcy's eyes studied Chimera, like they were scanning her.

With the last bit of the incantation on her lips, Chimera held her breath for the attack that might or might not come.

"This hatred you carry for Stella is a good thing. Hate gives you purpose. It makes you stronger in the face of a cruel world. Learn to use it right and who knows, you might make a half-decent witch someday."

The statement caught her off guard and Chimera lost the spell on her lips. She gasped, thinking she just gave Darcy the opening she would need to strike, but when she turned around Darcy was already headed for the exit. Relieved, Chimera swung back to the front, slumping into her chair.

"Oh and Chimera..."

Hearing her name on that witch's tongue caused her back to arch up straight, like a hot poker had been shoved up her spine.

At the doorway, Darcy was glancing at her from over her shoulder. A displeased sneer creased her features. "You've got it all wrong." Darcy walked away, the door sliding shut behind her. "I'm not the nice one." It closed with an audible hiss - the same hiss that failed to alert the fairy to Darcy's entry into the room.

Darcy may have left, but Chimera was still cold.

* * *

A yellow sun peeked over the event horizon of the planet. When the ship broke through the thick cloud cover, it was flying over a chain of islands that were lush in vegetation but devoid of any sentient life. A light rain drizzled out of the sky which only allowed tiny shards of light to reach the surface. Fog blanketed the island chain, making travel risky save for the fact that the ship was on full autopilot. Its onboard computer guided it in, bringing the vessel and its occupants to a large island thick with fog and covered in trees.

A solitary structure stood atop the island's highest peak. It was completely out of place for an uninhabited world; a mansion situated behind a ring of fortified stone built from the ground up. It was imposing, more a fort than a place of residence, and from the outside looking in it appeared deserted. There were no sentries; no lookouts to announce the ship's presence.

The citadel was quiet, foreboding, and didn't look like it wanted to receive guests. When the ship carrying the escapees arrived it began to descend slowly into the inner courtyard. The floor opened up, admitting the vessel down a hidden docking port several feet beneath the surface. A pair of eyes unseen to those inside the ship waited until it disappeared below. The figure melted away from the window as if it weren't even there to begin with.

Inside, the ship's onboard computer guided the stealth vessel into a steady decline. Its engines hissed quietly as if any noise would attract unwanted attention. When the landing gears touched down the engines went silent. The docking port was large but empty, nothing save a circular landing pad and the red ship that used it.

The side door opened up and extended the walking platform, allowing the occupants their first steps on solid ground. Chimera was the first to leave followed by Darcy, Stormy, and Icy who all of a sudden seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the ship. She felt like she was being watched and her sharp eyes scanned the confines of the dock to look for whatever it was making her feel uncomfortable.

"Where are we?" Stormy, as the most curious of the trio, asked Chimera. "I don't recognize this planet."

"You won't find it on any charts, that's for sure." Chimera turned to regard the Trix. Her eyes followed the ramp to where Icy, still standing in the doorway, had yet to descend. "Its location is a complete secret to the outside world. Its coordinates were encrypted into the ship's computer so that not even I know how to find it."

Darcy eyed her. "So you have no idea where we are?"

She shrugged her thin shoulders. "I'm as clueless as you are."

"That's dumb."

"Secrecy is key to our plans. If any one of us were captured and interrogated by the monks at Light Rock, we'd have revealed our location and jeopardized our plans. Is there something wrong?" Chimera shot that question at Icy who didn't seem to notice. The other Trix turned around. Icy regarded her surroundings one last time before turning her attention to their guide.

"We're being watched."

"Doy."

Icy narrowed her eyes. "I don't like being watched."

Stormy turned to Chimera. "Where's this 'she' you kept mentioning on the ship?"

"We'll see her soon." Chimera raised a finger. "But first, you guys look like you could do with a bath and a change in wardrobe. We've prepared quarters for you. When you're done, I'll come get you so we can eat and meet the boss."

"I want to meet this woman _now_," Icy stressed.

"Uh...Ice?" Stormy rubbed her belly. "I'm kind of hungry."

Darcy sniffed the sleeve of her white robe and gagged. "I can totally use a shower. I smell like monk."

Icy strutted down the ramp and between her sisters before standing face-to-face with Chimera. To her credit, the fairy stood her ground. She flexed her fingers by her sides ready to unleash a spell attack should Icy lash out at her first. But Icy had no intention of starting a fight...yet. She just stood there, glaring into Chimera's eyes so hard that she almost blinded her.

"I won't be happy until I have answers." Her tone softened and she stepped back. Chimera's hands relaxed slightly. "But it was a long ride and I can't wait to get out of these clothes. Show us to our rooms," she commanded the Beta girl. "And be quick about it."

Chimera stuck up her chin. "Well..." She turned away. "You can at least say please."

"Do I look like a fairy to you?"

Darcy and Stormy looked at each other before snickering.

Biting her tongue - literally - Chimera swallowed her pride for the moment and led the witches into the citadel proper. It was lavishly-furnished. Gilded Corinthian columns lined extravagant hallways with roofs fifty feet above their heads. Plush red carpets so soft touched their feet that it felt like walking on air. Sweet incense filled the air and while the witches gagged at the aroma, Chimera took it all in, reveling in the way it tickled her nose.

Chimera stopped in front of a great oak door which opened of its own accord. Inside was a long, marble hallway with doors on either end. She stepped aside to let the witches pass. "These are your rooms. Pick whichever one you want. Dinner's in one hour. I'll be back to get you then."

"Where are you going to be?" Darcy asked as Chimera went to leave.

"My room's in another wing." She stopped at the door and turned. There was a dark glint to her eyes. "Relax and enjoy yourselves." Then she smiled. It unnerved the Trix, a lot. "I'll see you later." The large oak door closed itself leaving the Trix alone in the hallway. Icy, Darcy and Stormy looked at one another.

"Well?" Darcy began.

"Well what?" Stormy asked. "I can't make heads or tails of that fairy."

"She's not the one in charge, though. If her boss had her break us out of prison then she must have a plan for us. The question is what is it and what if we don't like it? Chimera said this place was top secret. I don't think she'd just let us leave after we'd seen all this."

"Good point."

"And while I'd love to take our revenge on the Winx Club, I'm not sure how I feel about teaming up with a fairy."

"She did bust us out, Darcy."

"True. But so did Darkar and Baltor and look how that turned out for us."

Stormy looked at Darcy incredulously. She placed one hand on her hip. "Why so nervous all of a sudden?"

Darcy glared at her. "I'm not nervous. Just cautious. That Chimera's bad news."

"We can take her."

"You are so dense sometimes," Darcy said as Stormy growled like an irate hound. "I mean that all of this seems too good to be true. I'm grateful that we're out and everything, but now that we're here I'm starting to have second thoughts. It's like we're obligated to help this woman who freed us from prison. I don't like feeling obligated to anyone for anything."

Stormy crossed her arms. "So just go."

"And where would you have me go, Stormy?"

"Back to Light Rock. That's the only place you're going if you leave this planet. All our old haunts are gone. We're homeless."

Darcy looked at the floor. Stormy was right...Coven damn her.

"What do you think, Ice?"

Icy had thinking to herself this whole time. She heard what her sisters said and measured that with her own suspicions. Experience had taught her never to trust anyone let alone those she just met. "We'll stay for now; listen to what this lady has to say."

"And if we don't like what she has to say?" Stormy pressed. Darcy looked up.

"Then..." Icy turned serious. "We set up shop."

"You mean...take it over?" Stormy asked in shock.

"You sure that's a good idea? We're not up to full strength yet."

Icy eyed Darcy. "We bide our time. I'm not saying we go in spells blazing like we did at Cloud Tower." She regarded both her sisters. "We always failed because we moved too quickly. This time we learn everything there is to know about this woman. Once we gauge her strength, that's when we make our move. But only then and not before and only when I say so."

Stormy and Darcy thought it over.

"So we're doing this?" Stormy asked. "We're joining forces?"

"For now." Icy felt a smirk coming along but held it back. No sense in letting whoever was watching them in on all their plans.

* * *

An hour later the witches had cleaned themselves up and were dressed in all new garbs. The dresses laid out for them in their rooms were too bright for their tastes so they just transformed into their old witch outfits. The body-caressing leather clothes fit the witches like a second skin. It provided basic protection from most spells and gave them freedom of movement to dodge said attacks. In their old attire, the Trix felt powerful. They were up to full strength and could now cause some real havoc. Now all that was left was to hear out their benefactor's plan and decide whether or not it was in their best interest.

Icy led the trio who walked in a triangle formation down the hallway. Ahead of them walked Chimera who had changed into an elegant red gown with a ruffled skirt. Her pale shoulders stuck out at the top, providing her arms with ample sway. Her long blue-black hair was tied into a series of tails that bobbed behind her.

Icy watched her walk with great disdain. That she was so casual around the witches meant she wasn't afraid of them. It was insulting. She tried to gauge the girl's power by using her sixth sense. Icy could tell she was powerful, though not at the same level as Bloom or the other Winx girls. She had not achieved her Enchantix or any other heightened transformation which meant she was no stronger than your basic senior fairy. Still, one can only tell so much just by _feeling._ She wouldn't know what Chimera could do until she saw the girl in action.

Chimera led them to a large room where a circular table was ready to receive guests. There were waiters there, but none of them were flesh and blood. They were just walking suits with no heads. Each of them pulled back a chair as the girls approached. The witches eyed them suspiciously.

Once they were all seated down, the waiters went about preparing the girls for the feasts. Each waiter unfurled a napkin and placed them on their laps. Several more came from a room in the other corner - presumably the kitchen - carrying trays of food. They placed the trays on the table, lifting the covers to reveal mouth-watering meals. There was ham, fish, flounder, meat loaf, chicken (rotisserie and broiled), sweet peas, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, garlic mash, steaks, steamed vegetables, filet mignon and countless other delights.

Needless to say, the witches heard their stomachs yelling and submitted to their desires. Whereas Chimera ate like a princess should, chewing her food properly, the Trix ate like wild women.

The former princess looked on in distaste. She cringed away from Stormy whose eating habits were sending half-chewed morsels in her direction. "Could you please eat with your mouth closed?"

Stormy mumbled something indecipherable. She had a drumstick in one hand and garlic bread in the other, her mouth filled with a combination of the two.

"What?"

"She said this food is delicious and don't tell her how to eat," Darcy, who had been eating across from Chimera, elaborated.

Chimera watched the Trix eat, her mouth gagging with each passing second. "Honestly! You'd think they'd starved you in Light Rock."

"No meat," Stormy mumbled with her mouth full. "Guys are all vegetarians."

"Witches need protein," Icy spoke. She chowed down on a cob of corn, turning it nimbly in her hands. "Dark magic takes a lot out of you. Without constant sustenance we'd drop dead from lack of nutrition."

"Really?" Chimera was surprised at this source of information. "I always thought you guys liked eating meat because you were evil."

At that, Icy paused in her feast and looked up at Chimera. She wiped her mouth clean before answering. "Are you serious? You mean to tell me you don't eat meat?"

"Doesn't do much for my figure."

"What figure? You're as skinny as an elf."

Chimera glared at Darcy from across the table.

"Even fairies need substance in their diet. Flapping those wings alone burns a lot of calories. Half the time when we were up against Bloom and her friends they were always on foot. They needed to conserve their energy else they'd have never lasted as long as they did against us."

Chimera's angry look turned to one of surprise as she regarded Icy. Her knowledge of fairies was impressive. That she understood the repercussions of flying in combat was disturbing. That meant she understood how to exploit a weakness.

"They also have to transform," the witch continued. "I can't tell you how many times I've had a clear shot of one of those fairies while they were going all Charmix or Enchantix and wonder why the hells are they were leaving themselves so wide open. But transforming takes energy and every ounce they use to pretty-up in the middle of a fight means less they had to deal with us."

Chimera asked, "But wouldn't it have been easier to just blast them while they were in the middle of a transformation? That way you wouldn't have to deal with them in the first place."

"True. But where's the fun in that?"

She heard Darcy chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"Witches like to toy with their enemies. Simply killing a fairy wouldn't be any fun. Blasting them is too quick." Darcy stuck a fork into a chicken breast and removed a piece. She raised it up, the morsel on the end, for all to see. "That would be like swallowing this whole without savoring it. Takes all the fun out of enjoying a meal."

"Not to mention it takes a lot of power to kill someone," Stormy inhaled what was on her plate before continuing. "Fairies are pretty tough when you get around to it. Most blasts just hurt or scar them, but aren't enough to kill them. A strong blast through the heart will do them in, but doing so drains our reserves."

"Ahem!"

Stormy looked up to find Icy glaring at her. She realized she was talking too much and returned to eating. Her eyes never left the plate after that.

"What my sister is trying to say is that witches are more aware of the energy they spend in combat. Fairies seem to think that every attack has to involve a dance and a twirl. Every moment you spend moving or blasting is a moment you waste energy. I could never understand how you fairies think that is an effective means of fighting. It's like a one of those pansy specialists waving their swords and spears around like a crazed ogre without the slightest attention to where they're aiming; becoming exhausted in the process."

"So what you're saying is that fairies are all show," Chimera said.

"Pretty much." Darcy took a drink of water to ease the food down. This was good stuff!

Chimera smiled. "If that's the case, how is it the Winx Club defeated you?"

All witches stopped what they were doing and glared at Chimera.

"I'm just asking." She rested a smug chin on her hand. "I mean, you never could defeat them."

"Neither could you from what I read," Darcy spat.

Chimera bared her teeth at her. "I was outnumbered!"

"So were we," Stormy said. "Hell we were always outnumbered."

"And still managed to take Cloud Tower, destroy Red Fountain, raise the Army of Decay, steal the Codex, break into Alfea, and still give those fairies a good fight." Icy's voice rose with each statement. Pride reverberated within her. "I don't know what your boss has planned but whatever it is it can't possibly compare to how many times we've come close to taking over the universe."

"Except we're not going to take over the universe." The voice was regal and commanding. It filled the air and caught everyone's attention. "This is all about revenge, Icy. It's a task that requires far more finesse and planning."

Icy shot up, not liking the tone in the woman's voice one bit. "Who's there?" She looked around. "Show yourself."

"Bout time," Chimera muttered. She was getting sick and tired of having to deal with these witches by herself. True they were better company than some fairies but their attitudes were grating on her nerves. That and their eating habits left much to be desired.

A pair of double doors at the far end of the room opened up. A young woman was standing there. Her golden locks fell about her like an expensive curtain, giving her the impression of an empress. Her gown outshone Chimera's by leagues. It was a blood-red shade that seemed to glow in the light with white tresses on the cuffs and collar. Her legs were completely hidden but they took long, confident strides toward the table. This woman carried herself with utmost confidence, so much so that even Icy felt herself humbled by her demeanor. Her honey-colored eyes were large and striking. They froze each woman in place as if placing them under a spell. Once she had reached the table, the woman greeted them with a devious smile.

"Welcome to my citadel."

Icy turned to Chimera who stood up and cleared her throat. "Allow me to introduce Princess Diaspro. Our benefactor."

"Diaspro?" Icy repeated. Something about that name sounded familiar. Too familiar. She returned to Diaspro who beamed with arrogance and pride. Icy studied her. It wasn't long before her eyes widened. "Y-You're a fairy!"

"Another one?" Stormy groaned.

"Indeed I am." Diaspro caressed the ruby pendant between her breasts. "Princess of the Realm of Quartz and soon to be future ruler of Eraklyon."

A flashbulb went on in Icy's head. "Isn't that the realm that Bloom's loser boyfriend is from?"

Diaspro's eyes hardened.

Chimera waved for Icy to stop but the witch kept talking, ignoring her signals.

"Now I remember you. You were engaged to marry Prince Sky of Eraklyon at one point. Only things didn't turn out that way." She found herself smiling. Icy leaned back against the table. This was too delicious. The meal and the irony. "Bloom stole your boyfriend and made a fool of you during the Day of the Royals Ceremony at Red Fountain. I can't believe this. You're the one that broke us out of prison?"

"Um...that was me." Chimera raised her hand like a student trying to draw the attention of her instructor.

"Okay, princess." Icy's words dripped with cynicism as any mystique her benefactor held over her had completely evaporated into a cloud of realism. "So what's the big plan? You going to try to steal back your boytoy from that redhead and you want us to help you? Dream on." Icy pressed on despite Diaspro's growing ire.

"We're not your goon squad. We were the most feared witches at Cloud Tower before you ever met your sad wannabe of a boyfriend. Whatever little revenge scheme you had going you can just count us out of it."

"Hey Icy," Darcy said.

"What?"

"Maybe we should hear her out. I mean she does have one hell of a pad."

"Not to mention great grub." Stormy had just finished cleaning off her plate and let out a great belch. Chimera blanched at her complete lack of table etiquette.

"I can't believe you two. You're actually considering teaming up with a couple of has-been fairies?"

"This _fairy_ is giving you the chance at revenge, _witch_. Now you can either take it, or I can put you back where I found you."

"Yeah right. What can you do to us that hasn't already been done?"

There was a long period of silence as the two women faced off. The others cringed in their seats, expecting the magic to fly any moment. Icy remained confident that she had the upper hand over the princess and didn't back down. She smirked. "Well?"

To her surprise and discomfort, Diaspro returned the smile, only hers was far greater. "Why don't I show you?" Her question was meant as a challenge to Icy. "You think you know how to get your revenge but the truth is you have no idea. What I'm offering is a chance at not only getting some serious payback against the Winx Club, but obtaining your heart's desire."

"You don't know anything about me."

"Want to bet?"

Icy seemed ready to pounce when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Darcy. "Let's hear her out. We didn't come all this way just to start a fight."

Icy shrugged off her hand.

"Look will you just listen to me?" Darcy held up her hands. Darcy glanced at the girls around the room before leaning close to Icy's face. "You said we should check out her operation before making a decision. This fairy looks like she has some pull. Let's wait and see before we make our move." Darcy's face pleaded with Icy to consent. "Well?"

Across the table, Stormy remained silent. Chimera looked nervously from Diaspro to Icy and Diaspro waited for an answer.

Finally, Icy straightened up. "Alright." She looked back to Diaspro. "We'll listen to what you have to say."

Diaspro smiled. "Good."

"But that doesn't mean we trust you."

At that the princess chuckled. "My dear Icy. Before the day is through you and I will be sisters."


	3. Pledges

**Darev: **My thanks to Robert Teague, Kiku, and anika22 for reviewing the last chapter and for some very insightful notes and inquiries.

* * *

**3. Pledges**

_"No one takes revenge in order to achieve anything except revenge itself."_

Count Gyula – Trinity Blood

* * *

"Sisters? What's that all about?" Stormy whispered to Darcy when they could at last speak in private.

After dinner, the girls proceeded down a stretch of hallway that seemed longer than the others. There weren't any windows or partitions of any kind. A string of chandeliers, gold-pressed and with a hundred candles each, lined the roof of the ceiling over their heads. Darcy was made very uncomfortable by all the light. She had her hand up to protect her eyes, which squinted underneath her palm.

At the front of the procession, Diaspro walked with chin up, a perpetual smile forever cemented on her perfect face. Chimera walked just behind her with her hands folded at her waist. She seemed to be docile around Diaspro, as proven when she walked with her head slightly lower, an indication of who was the stronger fairy.

Behind the fairies and ever watchful was Icy. She never took her eyes off either of them. If she distrusted Chimera she distrusted Diaspro even more for she was the one in charge and Icy did not play second fiddle to anyone...least of all another woman.

That left Stormy and Darcy bringing up the rear. Stormy studied the scene before her with great interest. She did not grow up in opulence. Stormy came from a regular working-class family that couldn't even afford just one of those golden chandeliers let alone a hall full of them. Even the silverware back at the table was more expensive than anything she had in her house growing up. She felt intimidated and perhaps a bit humbled at all the finery around her.

What unnerved her more was Icy. She had been on edge every since she told her that a fairy broke her out of prison. Stormy had been just as shocked when her cell door opened and she saw Chimera standing over the unconscious guards with a key in her hand. At first she did not even know she was a fairy. Chimera gave off what was called a _grey_ aura - a spiritual essence that clouds one's senses. It made it harder to discern whether she was of the light or dark spectrum and it wasn't until she revealed herself as a fairy that Stormy's preconceptions began to turn upside down.

At least Diaspro made more sense. Granted she was a fairy but there was tremendous dark energy emanating around her. She could sense it from across the room before Diaspro introduced herself to the witches. It's no wonder Icy was so on edge, Stormy thought. If a fairy could emit an aura as dark as a witch there's no telling what else she could do.

That made her dangerous. A woman to respect and to fear.

"Ugh. I don't know." Darcy had just answered Stormy's question concerning Diaspro's past comment. "Am I...sweating?"

"A little bit," Stormy answered. She made sure to keep her voice low so that Icy would not hear. "You're not looking too good. Is it the light?"

"Gotta be. You'd think these fairies were blind not to be able to see in this."

Stormy studied her sister. Darcy was always the most level-headed of the trio and hence the easiest to talk to. She usually kept her emotions to herself and never displayed any signs of weakness. That was not the case this moment. This time she looked ready to keel over at the slightest breeze. "Maybe you ought to sit down."

"I'm fine. Just...just tell me when we get there."

Dropping the subject - Darcy was always too proud - Stormy returned to admiring the decor. True it was bright. Stormy preferred a more gloomy atmosphere with strong, stone walls. A few drafty windows letting in a breeze and a crack of thunder here and there and she was a happy witch. Still there a certain sense of foreboding that did not escape Stormy. This was not a welcoming place. Put in a few spider webs and add the occasional creaky door for ambience and you'd have a pretty good hideout.

At the end of their little trek was a large pair of bronzed doors cut into the shape of a half-crescent. Two large statues stood on either side. They were stone minotaurs holding halberds; wicked mid-range weapons half as tall as the minotaur holding it with an axe on one end and a bladed spoke on the other. The guardians remained silent as the women approached the door. It opened.

Inside was a lounge with a roaring fireplace at the far end. There were no windows here either. The entire room was closed off from the outside and smelled of a variety of flower that none of the witches, who hated flowers save for those they could use in spells and hexes, could name. Five plush chairs awaited them. Each had red cushions lined with golden arms and legs. The legs were shaped like animal claws, giving the impression of a four-legged beast. At the top of each chair was a protrusion that resembled a crown with a hexagon stone. It was here that Diaspro bade her guests to sit.

Once everyone had seated themselves, Diaspro moved over to the fireplace. A roaring fire cast her shadow outward as if it were trying to leave the girl but was unable to do so. Diaspro eyed the licks of flame before raising her gaze to the painting above it. It was a woman in an elegant purple gown with red eyes and long brown hair sitting on silver chair with a garden in the background.

"Well?" Icy said to her back. "Are we going to talk or are you just going to space out all day?"

Diaspro was amused by her attitude. "Your dossier said you were short-tempered, Icy." Diaspro turned to her. "It also said you were a born opportunist. I find that hard to believe as you seem unable to see the opportunity I'm giving you."

Icy's brow went up. "What dossier? What are you talking about?"

"I have files on all of you." She eyed each witch. "And you as well, Chimera."

Chimera held her tongue and said nothing.

"I have read them thoroughly and have come to the conclusion that you are the best women for the job."

"Which is getting back at the Winx Club right?" Darcy said. She purposely chose the chair furthest from the fireplace though she was still sweating up a torrent.

"Indeed. We all have grudges against those Alfea brats, but alone we were no match for them."

"Speak for yourself." Icy crossed her legs, reclining against the chair as if it were a throne. "We can hold our own against those buzzing bimbos. It's our allies that have failed us in the past."

"Really?" Diaspro gave her a knowing stare. "As I recall, the Army of Decay was under your complete control and even with that you were unsuccessful."

"More successful than you trying to steal your boytoy away in the middle of the fight. We saw you during the battle at Red Fountain. Miss Griffin's seeing orb let us watch the whole thing. You flew in to try to save Prince Sky from the fight. He refused. Then you up and left only to try to steal him back two years later during the Millennium Party." Icy smirked. "Using a potion to win a man's affection. Even I think that's low."

Normally Diaspro would snap at anyone who spoke to her that way. To her credit, she managed to keep her brows from curving. Only a slight flaring of the nostrils proved Icy's words had hit home.

"I don't think you should be running this operation," Icy stated plainly.

"Are you challenging my right to lead?"

"Challenging? I mock it!"

"Ooh." Stormy was excited. She loved seeing a good fight.

But Diaspro didn't give in to Icy's challenge. The blonde instead broke out into a fit of laughter, catching every girl in the room by surprise. "Oh Icy. You are so naive." A slender hand came up to her chin. "Do you really think I'd let you take command of my operation?"

"Like you have a choice."

"Oh I do. Just like you."

"Wha..." Icy was caught off as a metal band coiled around her mouth and pulled her back into the chair. Similar bands did the same thing for her arms and legs, restraining her wrists and ankles, respectively.

"Hey!" Stormy got up only to be pulled back into her seat by the same bands. Darcy had been too busy suffering the heat to react in time. She was bound before Stormy's outburst.

Chimera was the only one still free. Shocked, she looked to Diaspro for answers.

"A precaution, dear Chimera, and nothing more." She glanced at her. "Please remain seated."

Chimera obeyed though made it a point to keep her hands on her thighs and feet straight down, away from any binders.

With the witches properly restrained, Diaspro spoke to them in a business-like tone. "Now that you are ready to listen, I suggest we get this first council underway."

The Trix fought but were unable to free themselves. They could not summon spells nor incite incantations with their mouths bound. They were at her mercy.

"First let me make this abundantly clear. I, Diaspro, heir to the throne of Quartz, am in charge here. I have the resources. I have the money. I have set up this base of operations for us and everything in it, magical or otherwise, responds only to me." To insinuate the point, Diaspro snapped her fingers and the chairs came to life. They began to walk and carried the ensnared witches closer to the fire. They stopped just a foot away. The heat was so intense that the girls could not even open their eyes.

"I own everything here. The ships. The weapons. Even you. Now I would like us to be on friendly terms but if you so much as try to usurp my authority again and there will be three less people at the dinner table." The chairs leaned closer. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy wriggled like worms. It was so hot. The flames were practically licking their faces. "I had Chimera break you out for a reason. Would you like to know what that reason is?"

One by one, the witches acquitted and with Diaspro's nod the chairs backed away to a tolerable distance from the fire but still very close that their heads beaded with sweat.

"In addition to being formidable witches," Diaspro went on, pacing about the room. "You three have experience fighting the Winx Club. You know how they think. How they will react. You know their strengths and weaknesses. I'd be a fool to not even consider adding you to the roster. Also your knowledge of the dark arts will come in handy. Add to that the psychological effects of having you wreak havoc on an unsuspecting universe and we're bound to get their attention."

Darcy mumbled something indecipherable. Diaspro had the band around her mouth removed. "What was that?"

"I thought the whole part of this operation was to remain underground. If we start making noise it's bound to attract unwanted attention. Namely those fairies we're trying to hurt."

"Things have changed since you've been in the big house. I don't suppose you know that Bloom's engaged."

Three sets of eyes widened. "What?" Darcy asked.

"That's right. She and Prince, that is, King Sky are to be married. Needless to say our little fiery-haired princess has bigger things on her mind than hunting down the three of you. You see there's the little matter of rebuilding Domino from the ground up. Bloom found her parents you see, and reconstructing an entire kingdom is not easy. Especially with a wedding to plan."

"Domino is back?" Darcy said. "How? When?"

"My, my. You three are so out of the loop. The entire universe has passed you by."

The Trix glared at her.

"Listen you..." Darcy tried to speak but the metal band slapped her shut before she could finish.

Diaspro turned on the Trix with a dangerous glare. "No. You _listen_. I have worked too hard and too long to let you treat my plans like they're some toys you can steal. I put this all together. This is my scheme. My citadel. My _rules_. Now unless you want me to reunite you with your ancestors I suggest you make a decision. This is your choice, Icy." She looked the witch square in the face. "Follow my orders and have your revenge or," She stepped aside. "The fire awaits."

Icy glared at her, but the heat of the fire was too great and her eyes began to tear.

"Well?"

Icy growled like some caged animal before she finally calmed down. "Mmmm."

Confident she had the witch where she wanted her, Diaspro had the chair remove the restraints. Icy was free, but she did not attack.

"Alright."

Diaspro waited.

"We'll do as you say." _For now._

"That's not good enough."

Icy wrinkled her nose.

"Swear on the River Styx."

An audible gasp filled the room. It came from the two witches still in their bonds. Even Chimera who was not one for ancient lore knew the implications of making that oath. It was an unbreakable promise. Whoever swears on that fabled river must keep their oath less a terrible fate befall them. Witches were a superstitious lot. Problem is that most of their superstitions had a way of coming true.

"I'm waiting." Diaspro pressed Icy.

Blue eyes met honey and for a moment the glare between them was brighter than even the fire. Yet when one pair blinked, the other narrowed. The choice had been made.

"I swear..." Icy tried to contain her rage. "By the River Styx...that we will follow you in this plan to its conclusion. By this covenant we are pledged." Icy touched her finger to her forehead and bowed it slightly, sealing the pact.

Diaspro seemed satisfied with that. "Good enough. I doubt we'll be seeing much of each other when this is over anyway."

The restraints disappeared. Darcy fell out of her chair and snuck around it, anxious to put it between her and the fireplace. Stormy rubbed her wrists. Icy just sat that. Her eyes never left Diaspro.

Looking at Chimera, Diaspro bade her a happy wave. "See. We're all friends now." Her voice was too cheery to be authentic. Diaspro was rubbing salt in the wound. She had just humiliated and threatened three of the most dangerous beings in existence. Chimera began to rub her shoulders nervously.

"Now," Diaspro started, pretending not to notice Icy staring at her. "Let us go around the room and share our most hated stories about the Winx Club. Stormy, why don't you start?"

* * *

The meeting had taken longer than Chimera would have liked. For a moment there she was honestly afraid that Diaspro would make good on her threat and toss the witches into the fire. She found she was relieved it had not come to that. Chimera respected Diaspro for the power she wielded. Now she learned to be very afraid of her.

When the princess first approached her, Chimera practically jumped at the chance for revenge. She wanted so much to pay back Stella after the humiliation suffered on her and her mother, the countess Cassandra. To Chimera, Diaspro was a messenger from Nemesis, Goddess of Vengeance and Retribution. She had prayed to the goddess for many nights, hoping against hope that her prayers would be answered. Chimera took Diaspro's arrival as a sign. Nemesis had granted her request. Now all she need do is follow up on it.

Chimera was not one for second-guessing herself, but there were times when doubt did creep into her mind. When her mother came up with the plot to overthrow King Radius and take over Solaria, Chimera, being the obedient daughter, went along without hesitation. It's not that she didn't want power or prestige. Chimera wanted all the good things in life. She grew up privileged; a big house, servants, a well-rounded education. But when it came right down to it, she was only the daughter of a countess. She had no real authority. The desire for power was embedded in Chimera at an early age.

Her family held a deep-seated hatred for the royal family. Their reforms were making it harder for those in the nobility. The king's radical changes to centuries of tradition, introducing democracy where there was once hierarchy, social mobility where there was once a strict class system and equal rights for all citizens of the realm.

The notion of sharing a table with ogres, trolls, and degenerates sent shivers down Chimera's spine. She would rather go into voluntary exile than live in such a travesty of society.

Then there was Stella.

How she hated that girl. Spoiled. Whiny. Selfish. Dishonest. Cruel. Arrogant. Conniving. She was what was most wrong with Solarian society. Her demeanor and way of thinking was what was tearing their realm apart. Centuries of culture, history, and pride shattered in just the few short years she was alive. If Radius and Stella had their way there would be no Solaria...only a mockery of what was once the greatest kingdom in all the realms. Chimera would not let that happen. She would succeed where her mother had failed.

She was looking outside the window in one of the top floors of the citadel. It was still raining and Chimera began to wonder if the sun would ever shine on this place. Solaria was a world of eternal light. Even when night came they had the stars to illuminate their streets. Chimera found herself feeling homesick. She longed to stroll in the sunlight gardens outside her family estate. Then she remembered she did not have an estate anymore. King Radius had stripped her family of name and rank. Knowing that bastard he probably tore it down to make room for cheap homes for less-deserving people.

That one thought caused her blood to boil. This discretion would not go unpunished.

She heard footsteps approaching somewhere to the right. She spotted Stormy making her way toward her from the other side of the hall. Her heeled footsteps echoed loudly on the marbled floor. Unlike Darcy, she made no attempt at sneaking around. From the looks of it, Stormy was not one to hang in the shadows. She was direct and deliberate like the winds she commanded. A storm went where it wanted and did as it pleased.

Chimera expected an argument to ensue. She had no idea what Diaspro had planned for the witches but she knew that as a fairy and her accomplice the Trix would take their frustrations out on her. Chimera had already come to near-blows with Icy and Darcy. She prepared herself for the worse.

"Let's talk," Stormy said. She had just stopped before Chimera, placing both hands on her thin waist. Stormy gazed at her with scrutinizing eyes, like she was looking at a question she could not properly discern. Her non-aggressive posture took Chimera by surprise. She found herself expecting a fight whenever the Trix were involved. This was the third time she'd be disappointed and she found she was glad.

"What about?" Chimera faced her. She kept her hands at her sides though she flexed her fingers instinctively out of expectant reflex. If Stormy saw it she did not show. She seemed more intent on glaring Chimera in the face.

"Diaspro made it pretty clear what she wants out of us. Personally I can respect her motives. I'd be pretty pissed off if a guy did to me what Sky did to her."

"You mean you'd be jealous?" Chimera asked. "I thought witches didn't care for boyfriends."

"You have a lot of misconceptions about us."

"I only speak from experience."

"Really?" Stormy smirked. "I didn't think there were that many witches on Solaria. Too bright and cheery."

"We have witches. You and your sisters are only the first ones I've ever spoken to face to face." Chimera looked her over. "Speaking of which, you three don't look alike. Are you paternal triplets?"

Stormy's laughter filled the hallway.

"What's so damn funny?" Chimera did not appreciate the inside joke at her expense.

Stormy's mirth subsided. "We're not related."

"But you call yourselves sisters."

"We're a coven. All members of a coven refer to each other as sisters."

Chimera digested this information. "So you're like some evil sorority then?"

This time Stormy became flustered. "Sorority? No! That's not it at all!"

Chimera took a cautious step back.

"A coven is a sacred pact made between witches. It means you pledge your life to one another. Any attack on one of us is an attack on all. You're closer to each other than members of your own family. You are _family_. Once a coven is made there is no going back." Stormy calmed down. "Needless to say we don't take forming covens lightly. When I first met Darcy and Icy we couldn't stand one another."

"What changed?"

"That is a long story," she admitted. "Right now I have some questions I want answered."

"How about this?" Chimera suggested. "You ask a question and then I ask one. That way we're both satisfied."

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Why not? We're on the same side. Getting to know one another will help us work better as a team."

Stormy sighed. "What is it with you fairies and being buddies? You're like leeches that latch onto the first thing you come across."

"I may just be a parasite to you, Stormy. But I'm also the girl that broke you out of prison and helped you escape. Doesn't that at least earn me some brownie points?" Chimera was getting a little sick and tired of the hostility. Okay, so she wasn't fond of witches. At least she didn't try to antagonize them every moment she got. "We don't have to be friends, but we can at least be civil around each other."

"This from the girl who tried to overthrow the king of Solaria."

Chimera smirked. "Well...it was a bloodless coup."

Stormy found herself smiling at that. "Point taken. Fine. We'll do it your way. But I go first." She crossed her arms. "I get you're mad at Stella and her friends for what they did to you, but what exactly can you do? I mean, what do you have that's going to make them pay?"

Leaning against the windowsill, Chimera said, "I take it you're asking what it is I have to offer to the group."

Stormy nodded.

"Connections." Her eyes brightened at the statement. "I used to go to Beta Academy before my family was exiled from Solaria. I still have people there. Not friends exactly but girls I have a lot on. Dirty little secrets they don't want getting out. Reputation is very important at Beta."

"So you're blackmailing them? Nice." Stormy looked at Chimera with newfound admiration.

"They know better than to say no to me. Beta has access to a lot of powerful spells and magic. It's also located in one of the largest trading sectors in the galaxy. My girls keep their eyes to the ground and pass on whatever they learn to me. Then there's Solaria." Chimera smiled devilishly. "My family still has agents posted throughout the kingdom. We have people working inside the palace who can update me on whatever the king's doing."

"How does that help us?"

"In addition to being my home, Solaria is also one of the more powerful realms in existence. Princess Stella is daughter to the king. You can bet she tells her daddy everything that's going on which gives us an insight into the workings of the Winx Club."

Stormy nodded. "I see."

"My turn," Chimera said. "You guys have been fighting the Winx Club for ages. Are they really that powerful? I mean there has to be some weakness you've discovered that we can exploit."

"There are a few. I mean they are fairies afterall. No offense."

"None taken," Chimera spoke through a forced smile.

"It's just that they keep powering up. It's like a bad TV show where the good guys get new powers and transformations each season and the bad guys are left with the same old shtick. Then people wonder why we always lose. I mean first it was the Charmix and then the Enchantix." Stormy groaned. "Do not get me started on that last one. The weird purses were bad enough. I mean what were they going to do? Hit us over the head? They were impractical." She shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, when they got their Enchantix we were pretty much beat. You wouldn't think near-naked chicks with needlessly big wings would prove that challenging but they beat us...again and again." It hurt to say that last part. "Even when Baltor juiced us up in Cloud Tower we were still outclassed. Our best spells. All our hexes. They were nothing. They were just too strong."

"You're telling me. Stella practically took back the palace all by herself. I mean what is it about the Winx Club that keeps making them stronger?"

"You tell me."

"Huh?"

Stormy sat beside Chimera on the edge. "You're a fairy. Haven't you achieved your Enchantix?"

Chimera looked shamed. "No. According to the rules you have to save someone from your own realm. It has to be a great sacrifice or something. Like putting yourself in the line of fire. Only then can you transform."

Stormy smirked. "I take it you won't be taking a spell blast for Stella anytime soon."

"Like hells!" Chimera laughed and Stormy joined in. it wasn't long before they both paused and looked at each other. "Did...did we just have a moment?"

"Nah." Stormy looked away. "We just hate Stella is all."

"Right."

(Awkward Silence)

"So whose turn is it?" Stormy asked.

"Well you asked about my Enchantix so I guess it's my go." Chimera looked at Stormy. "That pledge Icy made on the River Styx. Does that mean you have to do everything Diaspro says?"

"Not everything. Only so long as it pertains to our mission."

"But does that make you her servants or something?"

"Of course not."

"Then what happens if you break the oath? Does something bad really happen?"

"We're witches. We're always surrounded by something bad."

"Oh?"

"You think we want to follow Diaspro? Anyone of us would have said no. But now that Icy's made the pact, we are bound by it. The River Styx is nothing to take lightly."

"I don't get it. How can you allow Icy to make that decision for the two of you?"

"It's all about the coven. How do I explain this? Our covenant connects us by blood and by spirit. We are responsible for one another and what affects one affects the group." Stormy went on to explain. "When we work together, our magic is stronger. The more witches in a coven, the greater our power becomes, especially with those who share a common bond. Kind of like your convergence thing. You should have seen us in senior year. We were so untied we were able to awaken the Army of Decay. It took the combined forces of Alfea, Cloud Tower, and Red Fountain to take us down and that's just with the three of us."

"The fact is I think we lost our edge." Stormy lowered her head in sadness. It was a rare sight on a witch so feared by many. "Darcy would tell you that each defeat has made us stronger, but the truth is we've become more divided. We used to fight over who would be Darkar's main witch and in the end that S.O.B betrayed us. We managed to join forces one last time in Realix but still couldn't keep it together."

"Then there was Baltor." Chimera saw her shiver. "What a creep. What did we ever see in that fairy?"

"I thought he was a wizard."

"Figure of speech. Anyway...our coven was tested yet again and once again we failed. It seemed that while Bloom and her friends were getting stronger, we were getting weaker. They were untied while we barely held it together. We spent more time competing with each other than we did working together. When we put our differences aside there wasn't a damn thing we couldn't do. We became the most feared witches at Cloud Tower because we were united. No one could work together like we did." She blew out a breath of air. "That all ended after we were sent to Light Rock Haven. I don't think we ever got over that defeat. Icy least of all."

"Is that why she's so angry all the time?"

"Uh-uh." Stormy shook her finger. "It's my turn now. How well do you know Diaspro?"

Chimera was made uncomfortable by the question. "Not well. She came to me and asked me to join forces with her. I accepted."

"That's it? Did you even know her reputation?"

"Of course I did. It's just...I had nothing else better to do."

"That's a poor excuse." Stormy stood up. She towered over Chimera. "Revenge is an art, fairy. It's not something you do occasionally."

Chimera stood up to put some distance between her and Stormy. They stood three feet apart, this time on opposite ends of the window. "I know what revenge is okay? I spent several nights dreaming about it."

But the witch was not convinced. She shook her head in a derogatory manner, muttering something that Chimera could not make out under her breath. "You put up a tough front, but you're still new to this game." She looked at her seriously. "It's a dangerous game. We're basically declaring war on the universe by doing this. You may have to do things you never thought you'd do in your life." She pointed at Chimera. "And I'm not talking about stepping on a few toes."

"Well what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about having to hurt people. Maybe even kill. Can you do that?"

"There's only one person I want to hurt."

"And she's a lot stronger than you ever were. Not to mention has a posse that you have no chance at beating by yourself. They're going to push you. They're going to beat you. Are you willing to do what is necessary?" Her face left no room for excuses. She wanted a straight answer from Chimera.

Chimera did not hesitate. "I can. I will."

"Really?"

"Dammit, yes!" Chimera blurted out. "I'm sick of being treated like the child around here."

Stormy smirked. "Then I take it you and Diaspro aren't exactly BFFs."

Chimera was clenching her fists. She hated being talked down like this. It was her mother all over again. "I will do what I have to do."

Seeing the look on her face, that spark of determination that belied the terrible rage within, Stormy saw something she only saw in the mirror. She felt a strange connection with this girl like she was almost a younger version of herself. The question is how did she feel about that? Chimera was a fairy, but one with potential for darkness. Just how far would she be willing to go?

"Then let's do it."

Chimera's rage subsided.

"You've got the right attitude." She scratched her chin as she studied Chimera. "But that dress doesn't suit the new you." Grabbing her by the shoulders so that she could not turn away, Stormy spoke to her openly. "It's not enough to be bad. You've gotta look the part."

"H-How do I do that?" Chimera asked softly.

The witch smiled. "You just leave that to me."


	4. Dissention

**Darev:** It's been many moons since I've updated... over a year, in fact. It's thanks to friends like Robert Teague, Kiku, and the rest of the _Winx Writers Anonymous_ group who wouldn't stop bugging me about the next chapter, and my own desire to get back into the fandom that inspired me to update this story. I'm sorry for the prolonged wait, but things happen in life. You have a muse, she leaves you, she comes back wanting to start over, you think about it, you decide to give her another chance...only to have her leave you again. I actually wrote half this chapter last year but never got around to finishing it...until now.

I have written summaries out for the next few chapters. This story will be updated in spurts -that is a few chapters at a time. Once I get around to finishing this next set, I'll have to figure out where I'm going with the following group. But I don't want to dishearten you. It has been a pleasure and a blast getting back to what I love about this series, magic, adventure, and a marvelous universe to play in.

* * *

**Mean Girls**

**4. Dissention**

_"Definitely a disaster...heavy on the dis."_

Robin - Young Justice

* * *

Alfea was quiet this time of night. The fairies and teachers had turned in and all lights were out. Two moons peeked behind a veil of clouds like tired eyes glimpsing out of drawn shades. It's as if the heavens knew what was about to transpire and wanted to glimpse the night's events in secret. What light shone through the clouds was dim at best, casting long shadows that grew longer still with the arrival of the intruders.

This was night. It was the time of the witch.

Four figures cloaked in darkness stalked their way over the wall. They were almost impossible to see; their movements muffled by dark magic and practiced steps. They moved between shadows as effortlessly as a fish through a stream with plenty of dark corners and shaded areas to add to their stealthy approach. Like hunters in the night, the shadows moved like a coordinated unit, cutting the distance between them and their quarry in the time it would take an observer to realize that something was amiss...which by then would already be too late.

The cloaked intruders had reached the balcony where behind closed doors their prey slept under a false pretense of security. Not even the school's impressive defenses could hold back the hand of vengeance. Nemesis was with them this evening. Their enemies were doomed.

One by one, the figures flew up to the balcony, silent as death, landing with the weight of leaves behind the railing. They remained kneeling until the last of their number had landed before standing up. Like four grim reapers, the intruders were dark visages of death, their faces hidden behind the cowls of their cloaks. The lead figure raised a hand, pale fingers dancing to an unheard cantrip that unlocked the doors. The glass portal opened to admit the heralds of evil. Like shadows they were, like shadows they moved...like black ghosts.

The room was a dorm filled with girly furniture. Distaste filled the mouths of the quartet as they observed their surroundings. Even the smell disturbed them. To their eyes it was ugly, pompous, and above all, arrogant. The elitist atmosphere reminded the foursome of where they were. Alfea was a school that instilled in its students a sense of entitlement, that they deserved everything without the slightest bit of effort. If that wasn't arrogance then the intruders didn't know what was. Some would call them evil for what they were about to do. In their eyes, they were the wronged ones weeding justice out on their oppressors. Like the goddess Nemesis herself, they were about to bring retribution on those who deserved it most.

One of the quartet moved to the door that led to the hallway, peeking outside to make sure that the coast was clear. Once she signaled to the others that it was empty, the one closest to the balcony closed the glass doors. Even the slightest breeze could give away their position. One shadow moved toward one of the rooms on the far side, fingers squirming in anticipation. She waited just outside the door, her anticipation salivating around her lips. One of her fellows followed close behind. One look over her shoulder told the other female that she wanted no distractions. This was her hunt, her kill, and woe to anyone who got in the way of it. The second figure seemed to get the message and backed away from the door. Satisfied, the lead woman unlocked the door using a spell and stepped in.

She came out so fast that the woman behind her had to dodge to the side to avoid being barreled over. The flying woman crashed into the couch, sending it careening to its back. Legs in the air, all semblances of power and mystery vanishing along with the element of surprise, the woman groaned as she came to a sitting position. The one who had dodged the human projectile looked up to find two winged figures standing in the doorway.

"Oh crap," the kneeling girl muttered.

All around the room the lights went on and the intruders found themselves in the middle of an ambush. The intruder by the balcony jumped back as the doors swung open, nearly knocking her senseless. A dark-haired fairy with porcelain skin entered, followed by an ebon-skinned fairy with brown hair. They were both in their Enchantix forms with wings so large they blocked the view of the outside.

"Welcome to our parlor, said the spiders to the flies," the ebon fairy, Aisha, said. A sinister smile came to her face, so unlike what one expected of fairies. She enjoyed seeing the look of surprise on the witch's face as she stood and gloated. "You witches took your sweet time getting up here. I was beginning to fall asleep."

The witch by the window had pulled back her cowl to reveal a mane of dark-green hair. "You knew we were coming?" Darcy's widened to the point where they looked like they might fall out.

Musa chuckled. "As if you bimbos could ever get the drop on us."

"Bimbos?" The one closest to the hallway door repeated. "Who you calling a bimbo, pixie?"

So fixated was she on the threat before her that the witch did not notice the one behind. The door opened, allowing a pink-haired fairy with short hair get the drop - that involved a swift kick to the rump - on the distracted witch. Stormy fell on her stomach and began rubbing her rear end just as soon as she sat up. "I believe she was calling you a bimbo," Tecna boasted, "Bimbo."

Just coming to her senses, Icy sat up from where she had collided with the couch. Her hood fell back, exposing a face etched with pain. The surprise attack had stunned her to the point where she was almost knocked out cold. It wasn't supposed to be this way, she thought. That attack should not have hurt as much as it did. She was about to voice her complaints when another fairy spoke out.

"Morning, Icy," Flora taunted from the doorway to her room. "Had a nice nap?"

Icy glared daggers at the exotic fairy and her companion. Suddenly all she could see was red...red hair. One hand on her hip, Bloom looked over at Icy imperiously, like a master would a disobedient slave that needed to be punished. That look angered Icy more than anything. She stood up, wobbly at first as her mind was still reeling from the impact. This caused the fairies to break out into laughter. "Shut up! All of you!"

"Aw. Did we hurt the wittle witchie's feelings?" The last fairy to make her entrance did so in stupendous fashion. A small sun dazzled the room, folding into the figure of a blonde-haired girl with honey eyes. Princess Stella of Solaria posed before her captive audience. Her friends cheered her on and she made a bow for show. "Thank you, dawlings."

"Stella!" The final witch challenged her.

Stella did turn and when she saw the girl behind the hood the laugh she emitted was the most condescending thing the girl had ever heard. "Is that you, Chimera? What are you a witch now?"

"As if. She's too weak to be a witch," Musa said.

"Thought that's not saying much," Aisha added, enticing a round of laughs from the gathered fairies.

Angry, Chimera stepped forward. "You and me, Stella. Let's go!" Chimera powered up, creating a vortex of energy around her.

But the princess was unimpressed. She yawned as Chimera fired off an energy ball which Stella stopped with her palm. Then with barely a gesture, crushed the ball between her fingers. "Pathetic."

Chimera growled. "This isn't fair!"

"Life ain't fair, sweetie. Especially when you mess with the Winx." Stella stretched out her own hand and fired a magic ball of her own. Chimera tried to block, but the energy was such that it threw her across the room and crashing into the wall. Chimera's body left a crack where it hit and she crumbled to the ground, out cold.

"One down." Stella turned towards the others. "Three to go."

"More like zero." Musa stepped forward. "Go back to sleep, girls. I'll take on the rest."

"I don't think it'll be much of a challenge, Musa," Flora said.

After thinking it over, the fairy agreed. "You're right." Musa turned her back to them. "Now it's an even fight. First one's free, witches."

"How kind." Darcy took Musa up on her offer. With a sweep of her hand, Darcy blanketed the entire room in a wall of darkness. Everyone was temporarily blinded. Icy fumbled around the room until she felt a hand grab her hers. "It's me," Darcy whispered loudly; first because she did want to the Winx to follow her voice so they knew where to attack, and second because she didn't want Icy to swing at her thinking she was an enemy. "We've got to get out of here."

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Icy complained.

"Well it did. Now let's grab the others and beat it."

"Going somewhere?" A bright light blinded both witches. Stella removed Darcy's spell by creating a small star. It was as easy as turning on a lamp. Darcy and Icy could not see, their eyes watering from the glare. This turned out to be a good thing because now they couldn't see what the Winx were going to do to them.

"Rose Storm!" Flora extended her fingers to unleash a hail of roses so sharp that it ripped the witches' cloaks to tatters. Skin was penetrated, and the Trix let out a whelp of pain.

"Boom Box!" Musa clapped her hands together, creating an illusionary sound system around the witches. The beats were so loud that Icy and Darcy could not hear their screams as they clutched their ears.

Stella made the coup de grace. "Solarian Sunstorm!" The star she created grew larger until it burst into a thousand pieces and began pelting the witches with a thousand beams of light. Between the heat and the pain, Darcy and Icy were so numb that they didn't even feel themselves hit the ground. They fell to their knees, their clothes smoking.

"So sad." Stella shook her head. "To think we used to have trouble with these girls."

"This one's done." Tecna had been having her own bit of fun with Stormy. She encased the girl in a modified version of her Digital Web technique, turning it into an offensive attack. As it was, Stormy writhed like a bug in a web. Entangled as she was, Stormy did not realize that her struggles to free herself were draining her strength even faster. In a matter of moments, Stormy had stopped writhing. She was too weak. She was, as Tecna put it, done.

Tecna moved Stormy over to the others and dumped her unceremoniously to the ground. Flora used a spell to transport the unconscious Chimera to the same spot and discarded her in much the same manner. When all their taunting was done, the witches, plus Chimera, were defeated. Bloom stepped in. She waited until Icy was coherent enough to realize that she was about to be dealt with...slowly raising her head until her eyes met with those of her most hated enemy.

"Bloom." Even weak, Icy's voice dripped with hate. Had she but the strength, the witch would gnaw Bloom to death, beginning with her feet and working her way up. She wanted to devour the girl, her feral side showing in the way she grit her teeth like some rabid animal.

As if reading her intentions, Bloom glared down at Icy before saying "Do you know what happens to wild dogs on Earth?" Without waiting for an answer, Bloom raised her palm, gathering energy for an attack - the final attack. "They get put down."

Icy tried to scream, but the last thing she ever saw was Bloom's smiling face before the fire consumed her. For a moment all was bright, and then there was only darkness.

* * *

"Icy!"

The voice was distant but somewhat familiar. Gradually, the witch's subconscious began to claw its way back to the land of the living. The first thing she noticed was how much she hurt. Her whole body was aching from the battle. Then she realized she was lying down, her back against the floor. Someone was shaking her. Soft but strong hands shook her shoulders.

"Wake up!"

Icy opened her eyes. Darcy was looming above her, her eyes watery from Stella's spell. Icy groaned and moved her head. Darcy shuffled back to allow her sister room to sit up. When she did, Icy almost fell back down. When the world stopped spinning long enough, she found out that they were no longer in the dorm room. Alfea was gone. The Winx were gone. Now it was just the four of them sitting in a large room that was filled with the sound of waning machinery. The roof and walls was covered in a tiled pattern of large squares and the floor was made of a smooth metallic material the color of rusty iron.

Next to her, Icy spotted Stormy and Chimera, the latter just coming to herself. Dazed, Chimera shook her head clean of stars and looked to Stormy who just shrugged, as if the outcome was just as expected and there was no need for surprise.

From overhead, a hidden loudspeaker blared at the foursome. "That was pathetic!" Diaspro's voice berated them. "It was your worse performance yet. None of you even managed to take down a single fairy this time."

"This time?" Icy shot up, forgetting her pain. Anger was a great morphine. "Of course we lost! How do you expect us to win when you keep changing the scenario all the time?"

"It's called being prepared, Icy. You never know what's going to happen with the Winx. You should have expected an ambush."

"The plan was to catch the Winx by surprise!"

"That would be too easy. It's never that easy."

"It's never easy because you keep changing everything!" Icy screamed up at the ceiling. From a hidden control room, Diaspro monitored and controlled the virtual training sessions. She had put the girl through numerous exercises ranging from full-on battles to guerilla-style engagements. Diaspro tried various scenarios that would help her team get back into fighting shape. From what she'd seen the Trix had fully recovered and Chimera was proving she could hold her own. Alone, they were each formidable fighters. But it was fighting together when things would fall apart.

Icy was always too eager, going in headfirst without thinking of the possible consequences to her and her team. Darcy fell in on herself, offering almost nothing in the ways of strategy or sensible tactics and perfectly willing to let the other girls go at it while she remained at a safe distance, jumping in on when the opportunity presented itself...and when she wouldn't get caught in the middle of an exchange. Stormy was too reckless. Her destructive nature and tendency for mayhem proved more advantageous to the Winx. There were times where she would accidentally strike one of her own instead of a fairy (save when that fairy was Chimera, whom Diaspro noticed had gotten quite close to Stormy over the last few days) adding to the instability of their teamwork.

Chimera was a different matter altogether. While an able combatant with moderately powerful attacks, she was by no means at the same level as the Trix. Her privileged upbringing left little in the ways of the art of war and it was showing. Diaspro knew that Chimera wasn't much of a fighter, but thought that anyone who could take over an entire kingdom had at least the premise of mind to perfect her skills. Apparently she had expected too much. This was not the first time Chimera had been taken out early in the fight.

"So what would you like me to do, Icy?" Diaspro asked from the control room. Her voice made it clear that she was just as tired of her team's neverending string of failures as Icy was. "Do you want me to just have the Winx standing in the middle of a field without moving so you can just blast them from a distance? If it was that easy, they'd have been killed a long time ago."

"I'm not asking you to pre-school our training. I just want you to stop making it so they overwhelm us at every turn."

"The Winx are stronger than you." Diaspro meant it as a statement of fact, not to insult or otherwise degrade Icy.

But that's exactly how the witch took it. "Then why don't you come down here and have a crack at them, you waste of fairy wings! You've done nothing but order us around like we're your underlings. Well I'm sick and tired of doing all the work while our so-called benefactor does absolutely nothing but watch us on a screen all day. This is your plan so how about you do some of the legwork and let someone else push the buttons for once."

"I'm getting tired of hearing your mouth, Icy."

"Then why don't you come down here and shut it?"

Before things could get out of hand, Darcy stepped in. "Everyone calm down! This isn't getting us anywhere."

Icy turned on her sister. "You're taking her side?"

"I'm just saying that..."

"I can't believe you, Darcy. You traitor!"

"Who are you calling a traitor?" Forgetting her own intentions, Darcy was ready to throw down.

Chimera cringed for fear of the brewing fight. Stormy on the other hand was waiting in anticipation. Icy and Darcy would always butt heads and it was pure fun watching them go at it. To her, this was nothing but an interlude between training sessions and with the tedious repetition settling in this was pure entertainment.

"Stop fighting!" Diaspro cried. "I command you!"

"Stay out of this!" The witches cried in unison.

"Here we go." Stormy rubbed her hands together excitedly.

"Girls?"

"I can't believe you're siding with a fairy. You've really lost touch with who you are, Darcy."

"You're the one who swore on the River Styx so that we'd be bound to her...and quite readily, I might add. Any true witch scar herself for life before swearing fealty to a fairy."

"Girls?"

"In case you forgot, the fairy had us strapped to chairs and threatened to burn us alive if I didn't make the pact. What would you have done? Begged her for mercy?"

"I never beg."

"You're right. You whine."

"Watch yourself, _wi-atch_!"

"Girls?"

"Or what? What do you think you're going to do?"

"I _know_ what I'm going to do if you don't shut your mouth."

"Don't talk to me like you're that fairy."

"That fairy you're talking about can hear everything you're saying!" Diaspro said over the speaker.

"GIRLS!"

All eyes, including Diaspro's although no one else could see them, turned to the one who had spoken out. It was Chimera. The blue-haired girl suddenly felt very small in the presence of women stronger than her. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut instead of trying to get everyone's attention. "What the hell do you want?" Icy spat at her.

"I...I just think we shouldn't be fighting is all." Silence pervaded the chamber. "W-We're supposed to be a team, right?"

"A team? A TEAM? Do you hear this girl?" Icy strode up to Chimera with her hands outstretched. Chimera tried to get away but the witch was too fast. She grabbed Chimera's cloak and ripped it off. Icy removed the tatters and stepped back, scowling. "Just because you've changed your wardrobe does not make you one of us. Clothes do not make the witch."

"And even if they did," Darcy added, "you'd be one sad excuse for a witch."

They were, of course talking about Chimera's new outfit. Handpicked by Stormy of course, her new drabs consisted of a green leather skirt with a black belt and a yellow buckle in the shape of a grinning cat. Dark, fishnet stockings incased her pale legs and ended above a pair of green heels that covered her from ankle to toe. The blouse was short and exposed her belly button while one of her right shoulder was bare for the world to see. The back of Chimera's blue hair was shaped into serpents to give her a dreadlock appearance, though her locks were still full and thick. To round out the Gothic attire, Stormy applied black lipstick to Chimera's face.

This new Chimera was revealed to all after hours of secret renovation in the privacy of her room. Stormy had come to her with plans to change the girl's image as she promised. To her credit, Stormy had done a good job. Now Chimera's exterior matched what was on the inside. Sadly, only Stormy approved.

"I like it," Stormy said, admiring her own work.

"You would." Icy turned her crystal-blue eyes on her sister. "Seeing as how you and the ex-princess of Solaria are all buddy-buddy now. And to think you used to rip on Myrta the loudest for having fairy friends."

Angered, Stormy turned on Icy. "Looks who's talking, Miss Swear on the River Styx."

"Thank you!" Darcy exclaimed.

"Enough! All of you! Will you all just shut up?" Diaspro had screamed into the microphone. Her voice was amplified to such a degree that it deafened the four girls in the virtual training chamber. They all cringed and covered up their ears. Diaspro's sigh followed through shortly. This was getting out of hand. How could she hope to get her revenge on Bloom when her own team was at each other's throats? "This isn't working."

Having recovered from the ringing in her ears, Icy looked up expectantly. "So does that mean you release us from our vow?"

"Your vow," Darcy muttered, though Icy did not hear. Besides, Diaspro replied immediately, drowning out Darcy's voice.

"No. What I mean is...is..." She sighed again. "I have to think on this a moment. Everybody take five."

Darcy groaned this time. "I am so tired. Can't we just call it a day and be done with it?"

Icy found she agreed. It wasn't that she was tired or anything, but being around the people that aggravated her the most for another moment was just too trying for the witch. She needed a break from them. She needed time to herself. "Darcy's right." It felt strange admitting that considering they were almost at it a moment ago, but if enough of the girls agreed then there was nothing Diaspro could do. Forgoing their training for the day was not going back on their oath to Diaspro. Besides, they wouldn't be much good if they were too tired to even stand up straight. They could postpone the training for a while.

"What say you?" Icy directed the question to Stormy and Chimera. Well, to Stormy. She couldn't care less what the fairy had to say.

Looking between her two sisters, Stormy blew out a breath and shrugged her thin shoulders. "Fine."

Without even waiting for Chimera's reply, Icy turned back to the wall. "We're done for the day, Diaspro. If you want any more training then I suggest you come in here and do it yourself." Icy expected another argument to ensue. She would gladly switch places with Diaspro if only to give the little bitch a taste of her own medicine. What she got, however, was unexpected.

Their leader was letting them go.

"Fine. Beat it." The speaker clicked off and Diaspro left the room. The girls couldn't see this of course, but imagined that the princess was none too happy with the turn of events. Diaspro, like all royalty, was used to getting her way at all times. Arguing with the Trix and with Icy in particular was challenging her in ways she never knew. She was just as tired as they were, albeit with fewer aches and pains, and needed to get away from it all.

"Well that's done." Stormy clapped her hands together. "Who wants lunch?"

But the room was clearing out before she finished her sentence. Icy and Darcy did not spare a glance at each other as they exited through the now visible door at the far end of the room. Chimera was left shaking her head at the futility of it all. "We've been at this for days." She looked to Stormy. "At this rate, we're never going to get back at the Winx."

Stormy concurred, though revenge was the last thing on her mind right now. "All I know is I'm hungry."

Chimera recalled their first night at the citadel, when the witches explained how much energy they spent when casting dark magic. As the witch of storms, Stormy's body was particularly susceptible to hunger pains. Lightning was the most unpredictable of nature's elements, but you could always count on one hell of an appetite once the bolts stopped flying. Patting her stomach, Stormy shrugged and walked towards the door, leaving Chimera alone.

She sighed and looked at her new clothes, considering whether or not this change was good. Many things had changed for Chimera over the months since her family's banishment from Solaria. If someone told her she'd be working with a bunch of witches when she was still the princess of that realm, she'd have locked them up in the dungeon and thrown away the key for fear they'd gone mad. Never in a million years did Chimera picture herself in this predicament. What would her mother think of her now, seeing where she is and who she was with? What would Stella think?

_"Pathetic."_

The projection of Stella's voice rang loudly in her head. Granted it was only a virtual representation of the real thing, but as far as Chimera was concerned it had been Princess Stella mocking her before knocking her out as easily as if she were a first year student. Even if it wasn't a simulation, Chimera knew the outcome would have been just the same.

* * *

In a secret compartment deep inside the citadel, Diaspro collapsed into a plush chair that enabled her to dangle her feet above the floor. She kicked off her shoes, wriggling her toes as her form sank into the surface of the chair, molding itself to her figure. Reaching over, the princess hoisted a cup of the rarest wine off the table. The cup was gilded with gold, even more expensive than the chair, and studded with gemstones from her home realm of Quartz. Lifting the cup to her nose, Diaspro breathed in the aroma. Her senses ignited like a thousand different firecrackers, reinvigorating her in ways that no magic can. The beverage was not from her home realm, but from a neighboring kingdom that Quartz protected in exchange for certain goods and services. One such export was this fine wine that Diaspro would always have with her meals. It was a reminder of how rich and powerful she was. It was things like this she missed most since leaving her home and coming to this gods-forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere.

Given that she was having this drink alone in a hidden room deep inside an ancient fortress and not in the extravagant dining room of her family's palace stole some of the enjoyment she had when drinking. Dealing with those witches and that useless Chimera left a bad taste in Diaspro's mouth...a taste which was exonerated when the wine first touched her lips. "Mmm." She cleaned her lips with her tongue and regarded the cup, a keepsake of her late grandmother, once the most powerful woman in Quartz, with a newfound nostalgia.

Diaspro missed many things: her palace, her servants, her riches, the adoration and envy of her many vassals and subjects; but looking at the cup now, its sapphire gems sparkling in the dim lighting of the room, there as one thing Diaspro missed most of all. Ironically, it was the one thing she never had. Her eyes flashed and the cup flew across the room. Growling, she was more animal than woman now. Diaspro leaned forward in the chair. Her fingers clung to the arms so strongly that they began to leave rips in the surface.

A beeping sound caught her attention. There was an incoming transmission. It was a call Diaspro had been waiting for. She walked over to the transceiver and sat herself down in the chair. Unlike the seat she'd just vacated, the chair was a simple metal construct that was very uncomfortable. Diaspro had to make many sacrifices when she renovated her new lair. There were only so many comforts of home allowed in a place of conspiracy. Composing herself as best she could, Diaspro activated the oval-shaped screen in front of her. At first all she could see was static. Not technologically-inclined––she always had servants to do these things for her––it took some time for Diaspro to figure out how to boost the signal. Eventually the image became more presentable and she found herself looking at a heavy-set man wearing a simple, yet very expensive kimono.

"Princess Diaspro," the man said with a heavy accent. He began to stroke the hair on his chin as he spoke. He was sitting lotus-style in a room with paper walls. Behind him was an open vista of a valley with the moon overhead. The man sat with his back towards the vista, completely secure in his heavily-fortified compound. He was one of the most dangerous men in the magical dimension and the look on his face told Diaspro he was none too pleased with her. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Mr. Yoshinoya." She bowed her head. That Diaspro showed him such reverence was testament to the man's reputation. She was a fairy, a powerful one at that, and the heir to one of the richest realms in the galaxy. Yet just speaking to the head of the Yoshinoya Crime Syndicate made her feel uneasy. "I've been expecting your call."

"And I have been expecting results from you, princess. Why haven't you moved against the heirs of Eraklyon and Domino? Have you forgotten our arrangement?"

"Certainly not, Mr. Yoshinoya. I have assembled my team and am preparing them for the mission at hand. Unfortunately," she began hesitantly, "there have been complications."

"What kind of complications?" The crime boss raised an eyebrow.

"Just team dynamics."

"Explain."

Diaspro felt a knot in her gut forming. She suddenly wanted to be elsewhere. "The Trix have not fully recovered from their time at Light Rock. When their magic comes back in full, I'm sure..."

"When I agreed to help you, princess, it was with the understanding that the Trix would not be a hindrance to our plan." The man's eyes narrowed. "Need I remind you that it was you who vouched for them in the first place?"

"Yes. I mean no, sir." Diaspro gulped. "I saw what they did to Red Fountain when they resurrected the Army of Decay. They are powerful."

"Power does not equal competent," the boss argued. "And what about this other fairy you partnered with...Chimera? Has she proven useful?"

Chimera bit her tongue. (It hurt).

"Chimera is taking some time to settle in."

"That means she is doing nothing at all." The man was fuming. Diaspro could swear she saw smoke coming out of his nose. Yoshinoya took a deep breath to settle himself. "This is not pleasant news, princess. I am starting to reconsider our agreement."

Diaspro almost jumped out of her chair. "No! Mr. Yoshinoya, please. Give me more time!"

"Time is one thing we do not have. We have less than a month before the prince and princess of Eraklyon and Domino are to be wed. Our plan must be put into action before that happens."

"It will. I promise I will have the girls ready for action very soon."

"You had better, princess. I went through considerable expense helping you set up this operation. Alliances are a fragile thing. A table cannot stand on two legs alone."

Diaspro blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"To use a more colloquial idiom, it takes two to tango. A partnership can only be successful if both are carrying out their part of the deal. I have held up my part of the bargain and continue to do so. Unless you can show me that my trust in you was not misplaced, then I must consider our arrangement null and void." Yoshinoya leaned in toward the screen. "You have until the end of the week to prove to me that you are the right woman for the job. If not..." Yoshinoya let the threat hang in the air.

He need not have said more for Diaspro understood fully the consequences of failure. "I...I understand, Mr. Yoshinoya."

"Seven days, princess." Yoshinoya flipped open a fan he had hidden beneath the cowl of his sleeve and began to fan himself with it. "Do not disappoint me."

The screen went black and Diaspro was left looking at her own image. She sank back against the chair. "Seven days?" She covered her face with her hands. "With the rate we're going, it'll take seven years."

Her fingers traced the skin of her face. Diaspro felt lines that weren't there before. Working with these girls had stressed her out to the point where she was aging rapidly. She even found a few gray hairs in the mirror this morning. _Seven days._

"I need a drink."

* * *

A knock on the door woke Chimera out of an uneasy sleep. She had dozed off on her bed while reading a magazine she had brought with her when she agreed to join Diaspro's operation. The article was outdated and she'd read it a hundred times, but she could say the same about every other piece of writing she'd brought with her. Being cut off from the rest of the universe meant she couldn't go off to the nearest mall and buy the latest article from _Fairy Teen_ _Weekly_. There was no internet access for fears that someone could trace the signal back to their hideout. No shopping, no cars, no boys...being a fugitive had its drawbacks.

True Diaspro had set her up really nice, but with nothing but the witches for company (Diaspro having pretty much shut herself up from the rest of the world) the fine accommodations did little to fight her boredom. All they had done since freeing the Trix was train, train, and train. It wouldn't have been so bad if the girls were making progress, but if today's little fiasco proved anything was that it would take more than a common cause to turn this rabble into a force worth fearing.

After the day's training, the girls went their own separate ways. Chimera hadn't seen nor heard any of the witches since returning to her room. It was a big citadel and the witches and fairies were the only living things in it. Their servants were mindless automatons of magic, created to look after their every need. Chimera enjoyed being waited on hand and foot, but she had arrived here days before she went to spring the Trix from Light Haven. Since she rarely saw Diaspro before then or since, she missed interacting with living beings. At least she could scream at a servant back home and get a reaction. These magical ones had no voice, no head, and no semblance of self. They simply obeyed and nothing else.

A small part of her was excited at having more people to interact with, even if said people were the three most wanted witches in the galaxy. Since they arrived, all they did was train in the virtual combat chamber. The few times they didn't was when they were eating or sleeping, and during the former they were all too tired or too grumpy to strike up a conversation. They just ate and went to bed, waking early the next morning to begin the training anew.

The monotony was setting in and Chimera was bored out of her mind. She missed doing stuff. Sure she wanted to get back at Stella and her friends for what they did, but was it worth all the physical and verbal abuse Diaspro dished out? The Trix weren't any better. Only Stormy seemed to tolerate Chimera's presence to the point where they could share a word here and there, but those moments were few and far between. Chimera missed the days when she had her loyal groupies from Beta Academy following her around. They may not have been her friends - Chimera never had real friends - but at least she was never alone.

Unlike now.

The knocking sound came louder. Chimera caught the last whim of her snoring before she woke up. The _Teen Fairy_ magazine was sprawled on her face and she had to peel it off her sweaty skin. "Ow." She sat up in bed. Chimera was still wearing the green outfit that Stormy had picked out for her. How could she let the witch do that to her? She looked horrible!

"I'm coming!" Stormy headed for the door, massaging the part of her face where the magazine had removed a few hairs. Reaching the door, she pulled it open to find Stormy standing there. "Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you, too." Stormy seemed relaxed. It struck Chimera odd how she could be so easy-going when her sisters were near impossible to be around. How she lasted so long around them Chimera would never know. "So?" Stormy crossed her arms. "Ready for a night on the town?"

Chimera blinked her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Come on. Let's ditch this place and go have some fun. My treat," the witch offered with a mischievous smile. "You've got the keys to that ship, right? Well let's go have some fun."

"Are you crazy?" Chimera looked the hall. "We can't just leave. Diaspro has the whole place on lockdown."

Stormy huffed. She raised a finger and gathered enough electricity there to make Chimera jump back. "I can short circuit any security system."

"There are alarms. She'll know if anything's been tampered with."

"I don't know if you've noticed but this place is lit up by candles and chandeliers."

"So?"

"So...how much high-tech stuff have you seen around here?"

"Well,"

"Besides the VTS?"

Chimera had to think about that. The VTS (Virtual Training Chamber) was the most advanced piece of hardware she'd seen since arriving to the citadel. Come to think of it, it was the only advanced piece of hardware she'd seen other than the ship and the hangar.

And Chimera knew all the security codes to get in and out of the hangar.

"My point," Stormy said," is that this place is too old-fashioned. I've been doing some looking around and I haven't seen any video cameras. How exactly is she keeping tabs on us?"

"I don't,"

"And," Stormy cut her off, "do you think she'll even notice we're gone? The only time we even see her is during breakfast and the rest of the day she's spouting orders at us behind a one-way mirror while we're getting our asses kicked by holographic projections. Hate to break it to you, Chimera, but Big Sister isn't watching. She's too busy doing her own thing, whatever that is, to care about anything else. We pretty much have free roam of the planet and we stick around here only because we have nothing better to do."

"I thought it was because we were fugitives."

"If I don't see anything besides walls and virtual fairies I'm going to go crazy. We're young, Chimera. We need to hang loose once in a while. Let's live a little."

"But we don't even know where we are," Chimera tried to reason with her. "The nearest civilized system could be light years away."

"Who says we have to go to a civilized place?"

Chimera scowled.

"Come on, Chimera. I'm _sooooo_ bored. Let's do something. Just you and me."

That had the fairy gawking. "Just us?"

"Sure." Stormy wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "My gal pals have been cramping my style of late. They take things too seriously now. I miss the days when we were just witches out for a good time."

"Well...why don't you ask them?"

"I tried. Icy's always in a bad mood thanks to Diaspro and Darcy is sick half the time. The boss lady is an even bigger killjoy than Miss Griffin, which leaves you and me."

"You're serious?"

"Deadly." Stormy shook her for good measure. "What do you say, sis?"

_Sis?_ Did Stormy actually consider Chimera her sister? She recalled what the witch told her about covens, that they were serious bond formed between witches that formed a powerful connection. That she was willing to form such a bond with her, a fairy no less, was a big deal. It was probably historical. The first fairy to join a coven!

There was a time when such a thing would have Chimera roll her eyes, or even gag in disgust. Now, she was willing to try anything it if meant not spending another boring night in her room.

Chimera's smile matched Stormy's own. "So?"

"Should I bring a jacket?"

"If you're worried about the weather...don't." Stormy snapped her fingers, causing a spark between them. "I've got us covered."

"Okay." Chimera felt giddy for the first time in months. Not since her mother revealed to her the plan to overthrow the monarchy on Solaria did it feel so good to be bad. Breaking the rules was fun, but doing it with a friend was even better.

"Let's do it."


	5. Training Night

**Darev:** I had to split the next chapter into two parts. Similar to what Tolkien did with _The Two Towers_, this chapter follows the exploits of one POV while the next one follows another before they converge in the following chapter. This chapter focuses entirely on the escapades of Stormy and Chimera, and brings a prophecy that may mean doom for the Mean Girls.

**Acknowledgements:** My thanks to Ander Arias, anika22, and DayDreamer9 for leaving a review.

* * *

**Mean Girls**

**5. Training Night**

"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"

Tony Stark - Iron Man

* * *

The hour was late when Stormy and Chimera snuck through the halls. The witch's prior observation, that the citadel lacked any semblance of modern surveillance, was spot on. There were no eyes watching them as they made their way to the hangar.

The notion that they had to be so careful in their own abode was not lost on them, however. Diaspro was a cruel taskmaster and had she known of their plans, the princess would not doubt have them locked up in the deepest part of the fortress, never to be heard from again. That they were defying curfew and essentially breaking and entering into a secure facility that was strictly off-limits for the duration of their training excited the pair in ways that they could not put into words.

Breaking the rules was nothing new for Stormy, but to Chimera it was exhilarating. Here was a girl who had spent her entire life following the protocols demanded of her by her station as the daughter of a powerful countess. She never had to break any rules because she was always above them, above others, and hence immune to consequences. During her mother's coup of Solaria, Chimera was merely an accomplice. People might call her a criminal, but at the end of the day she was still a follower, not an instigator. While she enjoyed the power overthrowing the monarchy provided, the Countess Cassandra was still calling the shots and Chimera was stuck playing the role of obedient daughter.

Things were different this time. She was doing this simply because she wanted to. There was no reward in this other than the fact that she was defying an authority figure and doing so with a smile on her face. If there was any reciprocation for her actions, they would be on her alone, and not because someone had forced her into it. She and Stormy were partners in this. Being someone's equal for the first time in her life gave Chimera a sense of individual pride that she never knew before now. For the first time in her life, she was free of the shackles of royalty and being truly independent. She found she could not stop smiling.

Stormy observed the change in her newfound partner in crime. The witch was following the fairy (a strange turn of events in any universe), since she was familiar with the layout of the place and hence could lead them straight to the hangar. When Stormy first laid eyes on Chimera back at Light Rock, she seemed a frail, pale little girl. Chimera barley spoke two sentences to Stormy before handing her the tazer and running back to the ship to get it ready for their escape. She expected Stormy to do all the legwork while weakened from weeks of inactivity and wearing a magic-dampening collar around her neck. That's when she realized that Chimera was a fairy. The prissy clothes and helium-inflated voice were a dead giveaway, but what stuck out for Stormy the most was the look in her eyes. She was afraid. Witches smelled fear the way one would a pie cooling in an open window. Here was a girl who had lived a sheltered life, who had never done anything remotely as dangerous as what she was doing now. By the time she was old enough to talk, a witch had seen and done things that would make ordinary people turn their noses in disgust.

Then Stormy reminded herself that not all witches were bad. Myrta came to mind whenever she looked at Chimera. The fairy was as much an outsider among the Trix as Myrta at Alfea. Yet somehow Myrta had managed to transform during the second witch invasion, when Baltor took over Cloud Tower. If a witch could find her place among fairies, could a fairy do the same? The more time she spent around Chimera made Stormy question everything she thought she knew about fairies. There was darkness in Chimera, of that there could be no doubt. It was that mystery behind her that attracted Stormy to the alabaster girl in the first place. She was beginning to understand what Darcy saw in Riven when she spelled him. Darcy had said that Riven possessed a dark nature. Darkness in a hero of Red Fountain? Was it even plausible?

Apparently there was darkness in everyone. Darkar had brought out the evil in Bloom when he manipulated her to help open the door to the Realm of Realix. Bloom was among the most powerful and good-hearted people Stormy had ever seen. If she could turn to evil, who's to say a weaker fairy like Chimera could not do so?

And so Stormy had made a pledge to herself. She would try to bring out the darkness in Chimera, to turn her over to the dark side completely and without spelling her. If she succeeded, she would prove herself more capable than Darcy, who had to resort to dark magic in turning Riven against his friends. It would also prove that she was a better manipulator than either of her sisters, who always treated her like she was incompetent and unsophisticated. Stormy was tired of being the third wheel in their triumvirate. She was as smart and as able as either of them. If she could lead a fairy down the wrong path, she might even be able to break free of the shadow that Icy and Darcy loomed over her. Stormy had her own shadows to cast, and like a storm brewing, she was ready to block out the sun.

The possibilities seemed endless.

"We're here," Chimera said as she stopped by a metal door. There was a small keypad beside the door that would allow them access to the hangar. Chimera walked up to it and entered a series of numbers into the pad. There was a momentary silence before a red light flashed. "What the...?" The fairy entered the code again. "It's not going through." She turned to Stormy. "Diaspro must have changed the code."

"Guess our great leader doesn't trust you," Stormy said matter-of-factly.

"But why?"

"In case you haven't noticed, you're about to take her ship for a joyride without her knowing."

"It's not her ship," Chimera spat back. Stormy's eyebrow went up at this revelation. "And besides, we wouldn't have to break the rules if she'd let up once in a while."

"My feelings exactly." Stormy beamed at Chimera's comment. Her argument for breaking the rules was the basis of why so many witches did just that. Rules were meant to be broken. The more rules there were, the greater the chances for mischief. "But you have to give the boss lady credit. It pays to be wary around witches."

"Even if they're on your side?"

"_Especially_ if they're on your side."

Chimera threw her arms up in defeat. "Well now what do we do?"

"Did you forget who you're dealing with?" Stormy approached the pad and raised a finger. Sparks began to fly as she gently caressed it like she would a lover's face. The pad malfunctioned and shorted out. Moments later, the door clicked open. "The universal key," Stormy said, indicating her finger.

"Wish I had you around when I used to sneak out of my family's estate." Chimera pushed open the door and went in.

"You snuck out of your home?" Stormy asked as she followed her in.

"All the time. I love the royal life, but sometimes you just want to see how the other side lives. I used to have a servant girl who would accompany me whenever I left the grounds. She was supposed to watch out for me, to make sure I didn't get into any trouble."

"And did you?" Stormy was genuinely interested.

"A little bit. But we would never get caught. Between my magic and her street smarts, we used to run and hide before the authorities could catch us."

Stormy looked at Chimera with newfound respect. Maybe she wasn't as sheltered as previously thought.

"And here we are." Chimera looked up at the sleek red vessel that they used to flee Light Rock. It was a magnificent ship with a built-in stealth system. They'd have never made it here otherwise.

Stormy considered Chimera's past words, about the ship not belonging to Diaspro to begin with, and was about to ask the fairy to clarify when Chimera ran up the ramp leading to the vessel. "Hey!" Stormy went in after her. They rushed to the cockpit where Chimera took her place at the pilot's seat. She began punching buttons that lit up the main console. Stormy heard the engines hum to life and felt a tremble as the ship responded to Chimera's actions.

"We're all set." She turned to Stormy. "Take a seat."

Stormy did just that, taking a seat on the starboard side of the room. She watched as Chimera gently put the ship into a hovering position. It barely made any noise as it rose up to the roof that opened like a parting wave. The quiet vessel continued to ascend until it was far above the citadel, the island it sat on covered in the trademark mist of this mysterious world. When they were far enough away, Chimera punched the engines and they were zooming through the atmosphere. It wasn't long before clouds turned into stars.

"So where are we headed?"

"Anywhere?" Stormy propped up her feet. "Just so long as it ain't here."

"You realize that I have no idea where _here_ is, right? This entire sector of space is unknown to me."

"Then turn on the radio. We're bound to pick up a few signals from traveling ships and nearby planets. We can zero in on them and see where they lead."

"What if they lead to a place we shouldn't be going?"

Stormy sighed. "We just busted out of two prisons and now you're worried about doing something we shouldn't?"

"I mean, what if the world we find happens to be a place where they're looking for us? You are one of the most wanted people in the galaxy. Your face must be plastered all over the news."

Stormy thought on that a moment as if reconsidering their course of action. Then, the witch just shrugged. "Then I just won't show my face."

"What do you mean?" Chimera meant to ask, but as she turned to do so, she found that she was no longer staring at Stormy. The witch had changed her hair style and color with a flick of her hands. Running her fingers through her wild, purple hair, the witch had turned it a shade of chestnut brown. Her once frizzy locks fell down to her neck in small waves. Her eyes changed color too, from a piercing storm-blue to a gentle brown.

"I used this to sneak into Red Fountain once," Stormy explained. "Went right past security without them ever knowing it was me. I was even able to take Musa's father hostage in front of the whole school."

"Hey!" Chimera beamed. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"Girl, there's no limit to the number of things I can teach you."

* * *

Following Stormy's advice, Chimera scanned for radio waves throughout the system. Eventually they caught wind of a transmission between two sources. The signal was heavily-scrambled, which meant it was either a military channel - which called for high security - or an illegal activity. Criminals would often communicate using coded bursts of information to make it harder for authorities to track them down. Putting the ship into stealth mode, Chimera was able to zero in on the transmission using the vessel's advanced tracking system. It wasn't long before they came across an unmarked transport lugging crates toward a gas giant with three moons. The transport didn't look military nor did it seem to belong to any sort of legal enterprise. Given that they received several signals coming to and from the bleak, cratered moon before them, none of which were given on open channels, the girls concluded that they indeed had come across a den of outlaws.

No doubt the moon was crawling with degenerates of all types: rogues, criminals, fugitives, smugglers, pirates, and all-around bad people. _Their people._ They wasted no time in putting into port. The moon had a single settlement that was built around a crater that was nearly two miles in diameter. Lights went up under the domed ceiling that protected the settlement from the vacuum of space. With the stealth system activated, Chimera piloted the ship right behind the transport they were following. The dome resembled a cocoon with one of the tiles retracting to allow the transport access. Given that they didn't have proper clearance, it made sense that the girls would have to sneak in behind a ship that did.

Once they passed, the open portal slid shut. Chimera moved them out from behind the transport and search for a place to put down. The settlement was surrounded by an outer ring that had landing pads for incoming vessels. Chimera chose a vacant slot that was far enough away from the more populated segments of the settlement to put them down. Once landed, she deactivated the stealth shield as it took too much energy to leave powered on for prolonged periods. One never knew when they might need it for an emergency.

"I wonder where this is." Chimera looked outside the window at the buildings beyond. The entire colony looked like a hodgepodge of constructs that had been hastily built. Many buildings appeared to be made out of old ships and disassembled parts. Neon lights flashed in the distance and even from here they could hear the music blaring.

"Who cares?" Stormy said as she made for the back. It would take some time getting used to her new look. Despite what fairies might think, a witch took fierce pride in her appearance. It's just that what passed for beautiful in their world seemed too dark or bizarre for fairies. On the flipside, Stormy's mellow brown hair and soft eyes made her feel stupid, but it was best not to attract attention. She was a wanted woman, and therefore had to be careful where she showed her face. This disguise was only for the time being. She could not wait until she reverted back to her old, witch self again. The spell she'd cast would last about an hour.

Plenty of time to cause some mischief.

With Chimera right behind her, Stormy paused in the middle of the compartment and did a twirl. Magic radiated from her person and changed her clothes. She donned a revealing two-piece attire that was the same color as her Trix uniform that exposed her belly, her shoulders, and with a slight rip on the side that showed more leg than was necessary. She posed for Chimera. "How do I look?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"You probably think I look easy, don't you?"

"You do draw attention," Chimera admitted, "something I thought we were trying to avoid.

"My spell will prevent me from being identified. You could use a change yourself."

"Me?"

"Hello? Former princess of Solaria standing right here. You don't think your face was all over the news when you took over the kingdom?"

Chimera gave her that. Even this backwater had to have some knowledge of the galaxy's major players. People like Bloom, Stella, or King Radius and Countess Cassandra were well-known faces. Being the only daughter of a usurper meant Chimera's face was on a few television screens. "So what do you suggest?"

Stormy smiled. "Stand still."

Chimera complied and the next thing she knew Stormy was waving her hand above her head. Her clothes remained the same, but her face and hair changed completely. Chimera didn't see into just what until Stormy finished. "Nice." She observed her handy work. "Maybe I missed my calling in life."

Chimera reached into her pocket and removed a compact mirror - because hey, she was a princess at heart - and looked her over. "What happened to my face?"

"I thought you needed a tan."

But the girl looking back at her in the mirror made Chimera blanch. "It looks like I was mugged by a sun lamp." It was true. Her skin was tanned but with bit of red. Her hair, once purplish blue, was now reddish-orange and cut to just under her neck. Chimera's eyes, once dark, were now a shade of purple that bordered on lavender. Her clothes remained the same however. "Is this your idea of incognito?"

"You've got to learn to lighten up. We're here to have some fun." Stormy opened the door. The ramp descended. "Time to loosen up!" Stormy exclaimed as she threw back her short, brown hair and tip-toed down the ramp.

Chimera sighed as she put her compact away. Maybe she should take her advice and "loosen up" as it were. They were here to have a good time. Chimera could not remember when she last broke the rules just so she could fool around. Taking a deep breath, the sun-kissed girl descended the ramp and followed her companion into the den of sin.

* * *

It turned out that Chimera and Stormy did not stand out so much as they fit right in. There were many like-dressed females in this backwater, and they all had an attitude. They had to in order to deal with the assortment of men that frequented the bars in "The Stretch" as they heard one local call it. The Stretch was a long street in the heart of the colony that housed a series of bars, clubs, casinos, and many other undesirable places. And by undesirable, that meant they were just the sort of entertainment Stormy was looking for. Her eyes widened as she took in the sights. "This is awesome." She rubbed her hands anxiously, sparks flying.

"Be careful!" Chimera warned, fearing that her use of magic might draw unwanted eyes.

"Lay off! If I wanted to be safe, I'd have stayed in my room."

"But people might think you're a witch."

"Open your eyes, Chimera. Half the girls here are witches. There's one now." She pointed to a long-haired beauty with deep, red hair who was smoking beside a wall. The witch glanced momentarily at the duo, scoffed, and turned away. Witches seemed to recognize each other and when they weren't busting each other's chops or trying to assert their dominance they ignored one another. To acknowledge another witch would be to admit she is a threat to you. It was a sign of respect.

"Yeah, you'd better look away," Stormy muttered.

Nearby, a fight broke out at a bar between patrons. The girls heard a loud roar before the swinging doors opened up. Actually, it was shattered as two bodies came flying out, followed in short order by an enraged ogre. The unfortunate men who were thrown out skidded to a halt and stood up to find themselves facing the mad ogre. People lined up to watch the entertainment. There were humans and elves, goblins and trolls, witches, warlocks, and even a couple fairies. In this place, everyone was an outcast; shunned by society, they created their own haven on this rugged moon, living free and without authority.

Chimera bet the men wished there were cops nearby right now, for the ogre bore down on them so quickly that they didn't have time to bring their arms up. People roared and egged the ogre on, laughing and taunting as it beat the poor men to a pulp. Chimera flinched. This was a dangerous place.

"Let's try that one." Stormy was already walking. She wasn't the least disturbed by what they had just seen. Chimera noticed a skip in her step and she made her way to the nearest bar. Chimera rushed after her, flinching as the crowd squealed when the ogre roared.

"Hey!"

Chimera paused to look at the witch with the red hair. The scowl on her face was so demeaning that Chimera suddenly felt very small. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me?"

"You're the only fairy here."

"What are you talking about? I've seen other..."

The witch's laugh caught her off guard. "Honey, you don't belong here. I've seen your kind and this isn't where they hang out."The witch brought the cigarette to her mouth. She puffed contently as the nicotine filled her lungs. She looked older than any of the Trix. Possibly in her late twenties. Her green eyes had lost their luster but they were still impossibly sharp when she fixed them on Chimera. "You should leave."

"Why?" Chimera dared to ask. "I can go wherever I want." She was not used to being ordered around by strangers. Just who did this witch think she was?

"Just trying to help ya." The witch went to leave. "Oh and by the way," she looked over her shoulder at Chimera. "You're not fooling anyone. I can see right through you." She walked away. The witch left a trail of smoke as she passed.

Chimera grumbled something unintelligible at her before following Stormy into the bar. "What does she know?" Her face turned redder at the audacity of that witch. There was no way someone would recognize her. Chimera didn't even recognize herself. She doubted her own mother would know who she was. Suffice it to say that witch was playing with her at her expense. If she crossed Chimera again, she would not be held accountable for her actions. Judging from what she saw back in the street, people here weeded out their own justice.

The bar was filled with smoke and the scent of strong liquor. Chimera coughed as her nose was used to refined aromas and washed bodies. These patrons stank to high heaven. She covered her nose, which she realized drew many stares from those who turned to watch her enter. Eyes narrowed and whispers began to fill the air. That's when the witch's words came back to haunt her. What the redhead said about being able to see right through her, Chimera understood, was that she did not act like she belonged here. Chimera's disguise was like a pair of shades. You could change them all you want but you were still the same person underneath. If Chimera wanted to fit in she had to stop acting like Chimera and start acting like...

"Deal me in!" Stormy sat herself down by a gambling table without an invitation. Her audacity, her downright arrogance and upfront nature made the others look at her as well. But this time it was different. Stormy may not be from around here, but she was most certainly a witch. One of the three men sitting at the table subconsciously made space for her to sit down. A woman, of whom there were two, sitting across from her dealt Stormy in. The game they were playing involved cards and chips. At the center of the round table was as indentation where a small reptilian creature sat caged. Its eyes were very large, scrutinizing those sitting down. It paid special attention to Stormy as she was the newest member at the table. Several holes poke through the cage that was big enough for one to squeeze his or her hand through.

Chimera walked up to the table. "You in?" The first one, the dealer, asked her without a second glance.

"I don't know how to play."

"Then piss off." She regarded the other members at the table. "Place your bets."

The others began to do just that. Chimera leaned in close to whisper into Stormy's ear. "Do you have any money?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be hanging out with Icy or Darcy," Stormy began to look at her cards.

"Then what are you betting?"

"Take a look around. What do you see?"

Chimera observed the other players, noticing nothing peculiar other than they all wore tattered clothes, smelled horrible (especially the women!) and had faces marked with bruises and gashes. They all began to place their bets, shoving their respective chips toward the center of the table where the lizard watched them carefully. "I don't get it. What am I...?" Chimera paused when she realized that several of the players were missing a finger or two. The reptile's cage was stained but it was not due to spilt drinks. Now Chimera suddenly realized what that awful smell was. It was musky, metallic. It was blood.

"Stormy!" Chimera half whispered/half shouted into her friend's ear.

"Quiet!" The witch spat. Reaching up to pull Chimera's new face in close, Stormy growled, "Just because my face is different does not mean anyone won't recognize my name."

"But."

She released Chimera. "Why don't you buy us some drinks? I'll have a stomach pump."

Chimera blanched. "A what?"

"It's a drink. Just go to the bar and order it. While you're at it, order one for yourself. You need to loosen up, girl." Stormy pushed in her chips. "I'm in."

Judging from the way everyone gawked at Stormy's chips, she was either betting too much or too little. This was not a game for amateurs. Stormy was fresh blood. It's no wonder the lizard kept looking at her so intently.

"One stomach pump coming right up." Chimera removed herself from the table, hoping her friend would have some fingers when she got back. She could feel every eye in the room on her as she made her way over to the bar. _Get a hold of yourself, Chimera! This is your world now. You've got to be tough._ She took a deep breath. Stormy had warned her she might have to do a few unsavory things when she agreed to be a part of this team. If she couldn't handle a few roughnecks in a bar, how did she expect herself to take on the princess of Solaria and her underlings?

"No fear," Chimera said.

"That'll be four credits."

"Huh?" The fairy blinked, realizing she'd just spoken aloud at the counter and the bartender was speaking right back. He was a middle-aged man with shaggy green hair and dark eyes. Something about his face made him seen fatherly, like a man more used to being at home rather than tending to the trash that frequented places like these. Still, his eyes were strong and menacing, and anyone who thought he didn't belong need only to test him. There were dark stains all over the counter and Chimera didn't see any caged reptiles.

"A no fear is four credits," the man clarified.

"Oh! No I meant to order a stomach pump. You got any?"

One of the man's brows went up. Chimera realized she had just made another mistake. Nevermind that she didn't act the part, but she didn't sound it either. She immediately cleared her throat. "What are you deaf?" She asked in her gruffest, meanest, most don't-mess-with-me voice she could manage. "I said two stomach pumps, pronto!" She stomped her fist on the counter for good measure.

The man's second eyebrow went up.

_Too much?_

He eyed her once more before filling two mugs with a frothy drink that was a deep yellow and foaming at the top. Placing them on the counter, the man said, "That'll be six credits."

"Whatever." Chimera reached into her pocket and pulled out the money. She dropped it right on the counter before grabbing the mugs and making her way back toward the gambling table. That went well, she thought. She found herself smiling afterward. Someone bumped into Chimera, causing her to spill some of her drinks. "Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going?" She turned on the culprit only to find herself staring at the hairy chest of a troll. She craned her neck back as far as she was able, and father still, to look into the eyes of the glowering beast. His breath was putrid. "Uh..."

The beast breathed on her, causing Chimera to gag. The breath blew the froth right off the mugs and seemed to curdle the drinks themselves. Normally Chimera could easily handle such a monster. A few well-placed shots were enough to send any troll back the cave from whence it came. Her family had even kept one as a pet that she used to tease when she was a little girl - always from a safe distance of course. She didn't know why she was so scared at that point, but suffice it to say that when the troll growled at her in its ugly language, Chimera could all but keep herself from turning tail and running right out of the bar.

"Y-You'd better watch yourself." Chimera placed the mug she was holding in her hand and wedged it between her left arm and breast. She then raised the free hand to the troll and did her best to keep it from shaking. "I won't hesitate to blast you if..." she never finished that sentence as the troll's hand came up impossibly fast, grabbing Chimera's appendage and hoisting her into the air. Chimera lost the drinks and they splattered to the floor. The troll held her up high, her legs dangling right where her head would have reached a moment ago. Several patrons turned their attention to the show. Their smiles dashed all hopes of someone coming to her rescue.

She recalled the brawl in which the ogre beat down the two men and how the crowd roared in delight. She remembered the troll she would tease at her family estate. Now she knew what was different. She knew why she was afraid. Back then, Chimera had never been in any real danger. The troll was kept sedated and in a cage for her amusement. There were always guards surrounding it and she needn't worry about it hurting her. Even with Stella, that obnoxious brat, Chimera didn't have to worry about serious bodily harm. Stella knocked her around a bit, but never in even the heat of rage had she come close to permanently hurting Chimera.

Case in point, Chimera was about to get the beat-down of her life. It didn't matter that she was a girl or a countess' daughter. Here, she was just another outcast. The troll brought her in closet to taunt her, its breath nearly chocking Chimera into unconsciousness. She almost wished it had. At least then she wouldn't have to see what the brute was about to do to her. Before it could even begin to take out her frustrations, a heavy hand clamped down on the troll's massive shoulder. The bartender did not seem the least bit afraid as the troll turned around to regard him. His gaze was unreadable. He had a stare so long that the troll may as well not even be here, standing, looming, threatening him with its vastly superior size.

But size wasn't everything...as Chimera was about to find out.

"Put her down," he commanded with a voice so even and tempered that the troll almost blanched at his audacity. "Now."

"She bump me," the troll replied in horribly-accented Common.

The bartender repeated his order. "You know the rules, Grel. No fighting in my bar."

"She bump me!" The troll, Grel, said again.

"You bumped into me!" Chimera's protest seemed pitiful when she was being held so casually in the hand of the monstrous troll. Grel glowered at her for interrupting, but turned back to the bartender just as fast.

The green-haired man changed tactics. This time he gave Grel a stare so cold, so filled with ultimatum, that Grel actually took a step back. "But she..."

"This is your last warning, Grel." The man's eyes actually flashed yellow. He was no ordinary human being. Magic coursed through him just as easily as if he'd just put on a new jacket. The show of force made Grel step back again and those who once gathered around eagerly for a fight were now trying to put as much distance between themselves and the magical bartender as possible. "Put. Her. Down."

Grel seemed to think on it a moment - only a moment - for his arm was already descending before he realized it. Chimera's dangling feet felt the floor once again and she quickly stepped back, clutching the injured part of her wrist where the beast grabbed her. The bartender powered down and motioned for Grel to take his leave. "Off with you then."

Still fuming, but obviously not enough to challenge the dangerous man, Grel said something unpleasant in the troll language before stomping off. He was smart enough to leave the bar altogether before taking his rage out on an unfortunate passerby who wasn't even heading for the bar. Some patrons went outside to watch the show. An angry troll was a sight to see!

Chimera walked up to her savior. "Thank you, mister."

"You're a fool."

"What?"

The bartender lifted his fist and dropped Chimera's coins into her hand. "You're giving me back the money?"

"You never had your drink," he replied, "so it doesn't seem fair to keep the credits."

"But why did you call me a fool just now?"

"Because that's what you are." He motioned for her to put the credits away. "If this were any other establishment you'd be dead right now. You stand out enough without flashing council credits around here. Do you have any idea where you are?"

Chimera thought on what he'd just said. True she had no idea where this moon was located or even how to get home. The ship's onboard computer had the citadel's coordinates stored in a secure file that even she could not access; only impute to get them back. Not all realms and systems were under the direct jurisdiction of the Magix Council. There were many regions that lived "outside the fold" as it were and this moon was obviously one of them. The council was not liked everywhere and downright hated in some places. Here she just flashed credits like she was in a civilized establishment. People were giving her enough dirty looks without knowing where she'd come from.

"I see," the bartender said. It's as if he read everything she'd thought off the top of her head. "Here's some advice. You and your little friend over there keep your heads low from this point on. Grel will be the least of your problems if people know where you come from." Leaning in close he added, "The council's not too popular around here. Anyone else saw your credits they'd jump you in an alley, steal your money and leave you for the rodents."

Chimera shivered at the thought of her pretty body being ravaged by ugly beasts with tiny claws.

The bartender gave her another look over. "Enjoy your stay." He then walked away without so much as cleaning the mugs off the floor. Chimera wanted to thank him for saving her, but decided he had done more than enough by just passing on that bit of information. Why he did it, she could not say. Perhaps he just liked pretty girls. Maybe he had a soft spot for people from council worlds.

Or maybe he just didn't like that Grel character.

Either way, Chimera dipped her head in thanks at the man's receding back and returned to the table where Stormy had just won a round. "Hold that!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide. Apparently she forgot how to keep a low profile.

Chimera joined her. "Thanks a lot!"

"Huh?" Stormy looked at the fairy like they'd never seen each other before. "Oh! It's you!"

"Of course it's me!"

"No it's just," Stormy whispered. "I forgot you're in disguise. I wouldn't have recognized you if it weren't for the outfit."

"I almost got ripped to shreds by a troll while you were having the time of your life. Thanks for having my back, wi-atch!"

But Stormy shrugged her shoulders and said, "You should never trust a witch with your life."

"But I thought we were friends."

"We are." She returned to the table.

"But you weren't there for me."

"What was in it for me?"

Chimera was speechless at that.

"Witches don't help each other unless there was something in it for them. Besides, you looked like you could handle yourself."

"You knew what was happening and did nothing?"

"I might have stepped in eventually. But check out this hand." Stormy showed Chimera her cards, snickering. "I'm making a killing."

Chimera started to turn red. Real _red._ "Of all the unreliable, selfish, back-stabbing people I've ever met."

"What crawled up your skirt? I said I'd have helped you if things got too rough. You're my ride home afterall." Stormy left it at that and turned back to the table. Moments later, she won another hand. "Huzzah!"

Chimera was standing behind her, lavender eyes boring into the witch's back. Stormy was obviously dominating the game though it was not due to any skill on her part. Chimera caught wind of her scheme easily enough and an idea crept into her head. A wicked idea...one so devilish and cunning that it was almost too evil to put into action.

"She's cheating!" The fairy cried out loud, causing every head in the room to turn their way.

Stormy almost fell off her seat when Chimera screamed. Despite having no sleeves with which to conceal cards, Stormy was a witch and was as sneaky as they come. Her eyes were for more than just show. Stormy had enhanced them to be able to see through objects, which gave her quite an advantage when it came to looking at her opponents' cards. She'd spotted the table when she peered through the walls of the bar back in the Stretch. "Easy dough," she thought before dragging Chimera in with her. What she didn't know was how the fairy knew of her eyes' secret enchantment.

"Cheater, cheater! We should beat 'er!" Chimera said; using an old taunt made famous in Solaria.

Chimera shot out of her seat. "What are you talking about? I'm not cheating!" She lied.

"Of course you are. How else can you explain how you're winning when you just got here?"

"Good luck?"

"You're a witch. There's nothing good about you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Take it outside, ladies," the bartender said. He was wiping a mug clean from behind the counter.

"But she's cheating!" Chimera wailed.

"Tell me something I don't know." The bartender motioned to the other players at the table. "Everyone cheats at that game. How else do you explain all the missing fingers?"

Chimera regarded the caged lizard. It licked its eyeball at her. "You mean,"

"Of course there's cheating. I'm wining because I'm better at it, is all!" Stormy yelped in Chimera's face.

"Ahem." Both girls turned to the dealer. "While that may be true, it's never wise to admit you're cheating in public."

"Especially when it involves money." One of the men stood up, reaching into his belt for something sharp.

"And you're surrounded by cutthroats," another man stood up.

"And thieves," the second woman said. She removed a vicious-looking knife from her person; wicked and barbed at the end.

All players were now up and with weapons in hand. All were looking right at Stormy. The dealer was the last to stand. "I think it's about time to put all your hands on the table." She revealed a steel pike from her person. She smiled. "Jack's hungry."

The lizard licked its eyeball again.

It looked like the patrons were about to get the entertainment they sought afterall. Stepping back, Stormy bumped into Chimera. "Way to go, doofus."

"Me? You're the one who,"

"Shh." Stormy shushed her before returning to the table. They were about to attack at any moment. Before the bartender could warn them to take it outside, Stormy spoke up. "I guess you caught me." She snapped her fingers. Lightning ignited between them. All eyes went wide - Chimera's most of all. Stormy's grin was from ear to ear. "Back in flash." The witch clapped her hands together just as the players attacked. There was a blinding flash of light that had everyone in the bar cringing.

Chimera was blinded as well but felt a hand grab her and pull her towards the exit. "Let's beat it!" Stormy guided her through the thrall of agonized, twisting people before bursting through the door. She pulled Chimera behind her, down the Stretch and into an alley. Once she was sure the coast was clear, Stormy turned on her partner.

"Are you insane?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Chimera squinted as the sight returned to her discolored eyes. "How could you resort to using magic?"

"How could you be so stupid? I could have swindled those guys for all they were worth. We could have had a fortune."

But Chimera wasn't fooled. She stood tall and defiant. "And much of that fortune would I have seen, _friend_?"

"Not a dime now!"

"You almost let me get creamed by a troll!"

Stormy rolled her eyes. "Is that what this is about? A little scuffle? News flash, fairy. Things are about to get a lot harder from here on. You can't handle a fake Stella in a controlled setting so I thought maybe a real-life situation would bring out the fighter in you. But if you're going to freeze every time somebody gives you a dirty look then it's no wonder Stella mopped the palace floor with your skinny ass."

"This wasn't for my benefit and you know it. It's all just fun and games to you. You and your sisters talk tough but in the end you're nothing more than bullies who enjoy suffering at other people's expense. It's no wonder the Winx always beat you. You're your own worst enemy."

"Careful, Chimera."

"Or what? Your sisters aren't here, Stormy. It's just you and me."

"It's about to be just me in three seconds." Stormy gathered lightning in her hands. "You're no match for my power."

Chimera powered up as well. "I'm stronger than I look." Their individual power-ups reverted their appearance back to their true forms. Chimera and Stormy faced off...witch vs. fairy. "Maybe when your sisters see the work I do on you they'll make me the third member of their coven."

"As if."

"Bring it on, sister."

They powered up until their energies collided, creating a vortex of magic that bathed the alley in shades of purple and green. The girls were gritting their teeth as they squared off, each doing her absolute best not to back down. After several tense seconds of glaring and charging, something happened that neither could have prepared for.

They started laughing.

It began as a small snicker which quickly grew into a fit that had both girls clutching their stomachs in mirth. It ended when Stormy wiped a tear from her eye. "Like they say at Red Fountain, you've got balls, kid." Stormy managed to stand up straight. "It takes guts to stand up to a witch, nevermind one of the Trix. If half the fairies at Alfea had your attitude, we'd respect them a lot more."

Chimera stopped laughing long enough to respond. "I can be pretty tough when I want to be. Though I'm pretty sure you'd have won that fight."

"Damn straight." The comment wiped the smirk of Chimera's face. "But I think it would have been a pretty good fight."

Chimera's lips curved a little.

With their energy restored their disguises returned back in full. Stormy, the brunette, approached her companion, the redhead. "Listen, Chimera," she wrapped an arm around her. "You've got talent. I'm seeing something in you that's rare for fairies. You've got a dark side. It's weak but it's there. If you can learn to bring it out, you might actually be able to keep up with us."

"Are you saying I can become a witch?" Somehow the notion wasn't as revolting as it used to be. Chimera felt a little excited. For all their faults, as she observed while watching Stormy in the bar, witches were feared as much as they were respected. Stormy could go anywhere and have people step out of her way. The only thing Chimera had going for her was her royal lineage and that was good as gone.

So what was she to use? How would she gain the respect and prestige she so rightfully deserved? "Do you think I can become stronger?"

Stormy nodded. "But you've got to be tough. Next time a troll starts something with you, don't even talk to it. Just remind it who it's messing with by putting a hole through its head."

"But we're supposed to be careful."

"And we will. No one saw through our disguise. I'm not the only witch who can wield lightning. Though I am the best." Stormy snapped her fingers, creating sparks. "We've got to find your talent. Every witch has one. Icy's the Ice Queen. Darcy's the Duchess of Darkness. Me? I'm the Siren of Storms."

"And what am I?"

"That's what we have to find out. Where do your powers come from?"

"Fashion. Ooh! And clothes!"

Stormy shook her head. "Yeah. We're going to have to dig deeper than that."

"How?"

"By training of course." As she talked, Stormy began to lead Chimera back to the Stretch. "The clothes are only the beginning. We need to change how you think, talk, and react. Allow me to be your coach in these matters." The storm witch took her fairy companion out of the alley, her voice trailing in the air.

Back in the alley, a shadow stirred. It waited until the girls were gone before poking out its head. "Stormy. Chimera."

* * *

The girl had a hell of a good time. With Stormy at the helm, she began to teach Chimera the ropes on how to change her image. The going was slow at first and they didn't have much time considering that their disguise spell would last for one hour. They started small, intimidating a few goblins into giving them their money, and then threatening a lone man they found wandering the streets in a drunken stupor. The point of this exercise was to turn Chimera's mean streak into a weapon, not just an attitude. Diaspro had the right idea, Stormy admitted. She was a fairy, but meaner than most witches and ten times as self-centered. It was a start.

Eventually Stormy allowed Chimera to choose their victims. The girl cornered three young women, one of whom was a fairy, in a corner and ordered them to hand over what they had in their pockets. They resisted at first, but Chimera was so intimidating, so convincing in her promises of pain and suffering that they gave in soon after. She really worked on the fairy that was blonde like Stella. Chimera grabbed her by the collar and threw her to the ground, kicking dirt into her face and calling her names. It seemed childish, even cowardly. But learning how to use fear and intimidation as a weapon were key ingredients to any villainy.

They began to work their way up to stronger opponents. They had to physically take down an elf with more brawns than brain. A quick kick to the stomach by Chimera and a blast by Stormy brought his resistance to an end. Facing larger and more competent foes was challenging. Stormy wanted Chimera to learn how to strike fear from the get-go. The elf was a bad example as he was not afraid of her. Chimera learned how to use her anger, to bring it out to the point where she was more than just a fairy, more than just a girl...she was a force of nature.

Stormy smiled when she managed to get a woman, a witch no less, to fall to her knees before her. That the woman was one of her own did not matter. Anyone that weak did not deserve to call herself a witch. Chimera got her crying and ripped from her the pendant that was around her neck, taking it as her own. "The spoils of conquest," Chimera boasted when they were out of sight.

The girl's progress was impressive. Stormy looked around for that troll that bothered her back in the bar. Grel was his name. If Chimera could defeat that brute then had definitely moved up a class. She could see her growing more confident with each victim. This would be her final test.

Unfortunately, Grel was nowhere to be found. They checked as much of the outpost as they could before their disguise spell began to wear off. "We have to go," Stormy said. Chimera wanted to stay, to find Grel and make him pay for his discretion. But Stormy was right. They had to leave less they be found out. They returned to their ship to find that they had a friend waiting for them. It was the red-headed witch they saw smoking when they first arrived. "Hey." She was waiting beneath the prow of the vessel.

"What are you doing here?" Stormy, now in her blue-fro, demanded.

"Just wanted to say goodbye," she said, "and to wish you good luck."

"For what?" Stormy stepped forward. She was always wary when there was a witch around. This one was mysterious, which made her that much more dangerous and unpredictable. Her hands glowed. "What do you know?"

"I know many things. But for now I am just the messenger. And here is the message." The witch looked at Stormy and said. "You will be betrayed by the one you trust most of all and find solace in the arms of an enemy. Take heed, for all is not as it seems." Her message given, the witch turned around. With a flap of her cloak she was gone - a figment of the imagination.

Chimera stepped up behind Stormy. "You will be betrayed by the one you trust most of all? Could she mean Icy and Darcy?"

"That's two," Stormy said. She was still looking for signs of the witch. "And I don't trust either of them as far as I can throw them."

"You will find solace in the arms of an enemy?"

"Everyone's an enemy to a witch. No offense."

"None taken. I'm flattered even."

"Now you're learning." Stormy led the way into the jet.

"Who do you think she was?" Chimera shut the door and made for the cockpit. She sat herself down and began prepping the ship for takeoff.

"Just a fortune teller. A lot of witches become those when they fall on hard times." Stormy sat down as well. She crossed her legs over the console and crossed her arms behind her head. "Probably thought she was cool or something, disappearing like that."

"I thought it was cool."

"Parlor tricks. If you want to be feared, Chimera, you've got to learn to be easily impressed."

Chimera activated the stealth as they took off. They didn't have to wait long before a vessel, a pirate vessel, was about to pass through the portal of the tiled dome. Chimera waited until they had enough breathing room before making for the opening. Once they were out in open space, she activated the ship's homing system and set it to auto pilot. It would take them back home.

* * *

Once they had reached Diaspro's citadel, Chimera felt a yawn coming along. It had been a busy but productive night. "I have to admit I had fun tonight, Stormy." There was no answer coming forth from behind her. "Stormy?" Chimera turned around to find her friend fast asleep. "Guess being a teacher can be draining." She smiled at that. Stormy was an unorthodox instructor to say the least, but in terms of mayhem there was none better. She doubted Icy or Darcy could have done any better in showing her the ropes.

The hangar doors opened up, admitting the jet to a soft landing below. Chimera blew out a sigh of relief when they had finally touched down. "Stormy. We're back."

The witch stirred. Chimera considered waking her up but thought against it when she realized that's now how a witch would go about it. Besides, touching Stormy might put her into defensive mode. There's no telling what she might do if Chimera so much as poked her. So Chimera did the next best thing. She pointed at the seat to have it swirl around so fast that it threw Stormy off. She woke up fast when she hit the floor.

"Bumpy landing," Chimera lied. She had to turn around to hide her smile. That was actually fun.

"I'll say." Stormy got to her feet and remained oblivious to her friend's mischief. "Man, I'm tired."

"Let's hit they hay. Diaspro might bust a few ovaries if she found out we took the plan for a test ride." The fairy led the way down the ramp.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Stormy began, "you said this ship wasn't Diaspro's. Whose was it then?"

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed by now. It's..." Chimera stopped so suddenly that Stormy bumped right into her. Her last words trailed off and when Stormy looked around her to find out why she was just as speechless.

Hands on her hips, Diaspro was literally smoking out of her ears. "Where in the nine hells have you two been?"

"Diaspro!" Chimera exclaimed. "W-W-We were just...I mean...Stormy, she...I wanted to...if you'll just..."

She felt Stormy poke her in the back before whispering, "What have I taught you? A witch answers to no one."

"What are you whispering, witch?"

"None of your business, fairy."

"Do you idiots have any idea what's been going on since you left?"

"Now see here, Diaspro, Stormy and I don't...wait. What?" Chimera blinked. "What do you mean since we left?"

The princess sighed. "Something happened while you were away." Still angry, Diaspro regarded not her fairy subordinate but the witch standing behind her. "It's the witch Darcy. We think she's dying."


End file.
